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LEADERSHIP IS AFRICA’S PROBLEM
Story: Daniel Owusu Frempong
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A communication technocrat has identified that one of
the most pressing needs of the African continent is that of problem
solving leadership.
Dr. Spio Garbrah, the chief executive officer of
the Commonwealth Telecommunications organization says that the people of
Africa should be able to appreciate the need for better leadership to help solve
the continents problems.
He cited the exemplary leadership Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of
Ghana and nelson Mandela of South Africa as those that should be emulated by
the present crop of leadership. “…the kind of visionary leadership that Dr.Nkrumah, Nyerere, Khama, Dr. Kaunda, Kamuzu Banda and Mandela brought to
bear on the continent should be emulated”, he said. |
Dr. Spio Garbrah lamented the wrong intentions with
which some African politicians enter the profession. He made the observation
that certain people enter the political profession with the wrong motives
and advised that those who want to make money with politics should rather not be init but stay in private venture as ‘politics should not be a money
making venture’.
Dr. Spio Garbrah made these observations after delivering
a lecture in Abuja, Nigeria on the theme; LEADERSHIP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. In
the lecture he traced African leadership history from the Egyptian and Greco-Romaneras, through the achievements of the ancient kingdoms of Ghana, Mali
and Songhai empires through to the slave trade, colonial periods and pre-and
post independence periods and compared them to the present day.
In an interview, he stressed that “leadership issue will continue
to be one of the greatest challenges of our continent. It is
no surprise that it has become the focus of academics and courses at
various levels in the universities are focusing on it.”
“Africa is a blessed continent with abundant natural and human resources. No government has been able to come
up with concrete programs to take absolute advantage of the quality
human resources of the continent in the Diaspora”, he said. He has therefore called on governments to make efforts
to harness the human resources in the Diaspora. He says “we have
allowed technocrats and ‘cleptocrats’ to take away our natural resources. We
want problem-solving leadership that will focus on job creation and manage
our resources better.
The communication expert paid tribute to the development
of technology and asked that the continent should make maximum use of it to
solve medical, agricultural and economic problems of Africa. He called job creation,
competitive trade and better resource management on the continent. He insisted that
leaders should have the spirit of sacrifice.
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