Book Review: Leadership Concepts and the Role of Government in Africa (The Case of Ghana)
by Kwaku Abiam Danso, PhD

Leadership Concepts and the Role of Government in Africa (The Case of Ghana) by Kwaku Abiam Danso, PhD is short but highly ambitious book. It raises and suggests solutions to the issues confronting leadership and management of African nations, using Ghana as a case study. Over all Danso’s book attempts to answer the question posed by Kojo Albion, a native of Ghana, "Why is Africa so rich yet so poor?”

Danso’s diagnosis of the ailment, within the Ghanaian (African) context brings to fore symptoms of the disease including the following:

1. Lack of public outcry to push government to respond to basic needs (Danso 2007 p 5, 6, 97, 116-7)

2. People’s attitude, perception and low expectations of leadership (p31, 20)

3. Inherent cultural norms and behavior patterns create conflicting multicultural business environment

4. Dependency syndrome and disparity

5. Poor perception and interpretation of leadership

6. Docile or quiet nature of the business organizations in demanding change

7. Lack of the rule of law or law enforcement (p69)

8. Leadership(chapter 5, 6 and 7; chapter 11, 12 note pp120-6) Danso is particularly concerned about the quality of utility-service delivery regarding water, electricity, telephone and garbage as these are key indicators of wellbeing and development. According to Danso, unreliable utility and other services were found to be a major problem affecting businesses and industries in Ghana (pg 5). According to Danso, water and garbage service do not only affect the health of Ghanaians but it also affect the environment, specifically poor sewage treatment, open sewage and environmental squalor breeding mosquitoes and causing malaria. For example malaria is reported to have claimed the lives of 15,000 children under five years and 2,000 pregnant women in 2005 alone (pg. Xviii)

Post independent Ghana has not chalked the progress anticipated. In fact, from Danso’s observation matters have gotten worse since the departure of Ghana’s first President who had focused on industrializing Ghana. This exit, perhaps explains part of the toll on Africa’s civil organizations as a whole. Independence (freedom) and development must be fruitfully linked. Yet after nearly five decades of independence Ghana can not provide any appreciable level of utility service for its people.

Although the first president had laid the groundwork for development of infrastructure for Ghana subsequent administrations would not only refuse to follow through but they would undo the foundations. Danso then uses scientific methods to aid in his prescription of some medication or antidotes to the disease. Among the solutions recommended are;

a) Lack of public outcry to push government to respond to basic needs & People’s attitude, perception and low expectations of leadership:-The government only pays lip service in policy statements and even where the service is available poor pricing makes the service prohibitive in Ghana (p102). Due to apathy of the business community and the citizenry the elite elected to public service find the opportunity to serve themselves first, ignoring and neglecting their duties, including provision of water, sewage and basic utilities to citizens and businesses (p35). The electorate must therefore exercise their rights and responsibility to demand answers from their elected officers. The electorate must note that no matter the levels of taxation, utilizing tax revenues to provide essential services to the people is the responsibility of leadership (p37). For instance, why is it that only 4% of all phone calls from the US are successfully transmitted and less than 5% of professionals management executives interviewed had regular use of the internet (p40). Again it cannot be overemphasized that the electorate has the responsibility to question the distribution and delivery of services. Ghana or elsewhere , must be aware of the forces of change and adapt accordingly if any effective societal transformation is to be found in their efforts at development (p39)

b) Inherent cultural norms and behavior patterns create conflicting multicultural business environment:- African Governments must do or encourage more research and provide adequate information to shed more light on cultural practices to provide valuable information to multinationals seeking to do business in Africa e.g. Ghana (p28, 48-49, chapter 4).

c) Dependency syndrome and disparity of the role of government:-Ambiguity of the role of government creates management crisis. Traditional leadership, people in African societies find themselves with shifted locus of power and control, owing loyalty and allegiance to some other elected leaders who seem not concerned about the interest of the electorate, even when very high taxes are collected and people have the money to pay for services (Danso 2007 pg xvii) A case in point is the Vice President of Ghana’s statement "Our enemy is poverty, which we should collectively fight” The Vice President said people from the region should know the cost of insecurity to the orderly development of the area (GNA March 30, 2007 www.ghanaweb.com) .Cost of insecurity??? What does he mean? The report added Vice President called for a review of the negative and harmful cultural practices that impeded development and dehumanized people. He urged the traditional authorities to play vanguard roles in the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), early marriages, betrothals and dehumanizing widowhood rites. The question is why doesn’t the government pass a legislation to stop this etc.

Africans must be the determinants of their own destiny and future. As Albion would say, the resources are within not without. Don’t look elsewhere for your redemption. Begin with what you have and manage it well.

d) Poor perception and interpretation of leadership: Docile or quiet nature of the business organizations in demanding change: Business communities fail to persuade government to perform (pg 5). This should not be as they pay taxes. Instead the business leadership community must see it as their social responsibility to persuade government to act right. E.g. creating the right environment for business operations.

e) Lack of the rule of law or law enforcement:- Enforce existing laws of the land

f) Leadership: Danso’s advice to leadership is to walk in the grey areas where others have not. Attend to the actual problems facing the people. In other words, PRIORITIZE. Employ tools of effective management practices. For instance, Danso argues that, Ghana started off by making education a top national priority in preparation for what the first Prime Minister, Kwame Nkrumah called an industrialization policy of Ghana. Despite the initial good start and intentions, the country sank into both social and economic depression following the ouster by military coup in 1966(p19). Ineffective leadership, mismanagement, and unethical behavior on the part of both government and corporations have damaging effects on organizations and reduce incentives to accomplish goals (p34).

In contrast to the lack of effective organization of leadership, perhaps due to greed or their lack of understanding of modern management of nation states, Danso also provides hints on how to effectively harness and develop national resources.

Danso’s writings and daily conversation reveals his passion and love for his country and unlike his compatriots in government he is desperate to see Ghana, and for that matter Africa reach the middle income status with a large middle class as our brothers in the Far East, notably Singapore immediately. Danso often wonders why African leaders cannot follow suit from Lee Kuan Yew. As a friend Danso has not only highly recommended us to read Lee Kuan Yew’s FROM THIRD WORLD TO FIRST but has taken the responsibility to send me one as a gift.

Indeed Danso’s passion for national excellence of Ghana’s leadership cannot be overemphasized. This is exemplified in his role as a founding member and president of the NGO, Ghana leadership Union. Perhaps the best or relevant description/statement is none but that expressed by Arthur Kobina Kennedy, NPP presidential aspirant for 2008, “The question is not whether I live in Ghana, it should be whether Ghana lives in me” (As cited in Bonna (Vol 2) 2006 p. 93). In the light of the above Danso is more than credible to make recommendations for government and it was only pertinent that civil leaders took him serious and engage him in meaningful dialogue to move our nation forward. The first step perhaps is to make sure all the politicians and national policy makers read his book. I highly recommend Leadership Concepts and the Role of Government in Africa (The Case of Ghana) to everyone in leadership position in Africa. Graduate students and multi-national corporations seeking to do business in Africa will also find it very useful. Danso’s book is particularly useful for business, economic political science and leadership students It is a must read for GIMPA and the School of Administration.

Surely it is an impossible goal for Africa to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) if our political leaders, business organizations and citizens do not have a change of attitude. Our traditional leaders are not exempt. It is dangerous to embrace by looking backward at History rather than around at the obstacles to be faced.

It is interesting that Databank report shows African nations have shown the greatest gains in the stock market across all continent in the last decade (pg 2-3) yet Africa is getting poorer. Danso’s research highlights lack of effective leadership to be the major catalyst for change in all sectors of the economy (Chapter 1). Find out more by reading his book as he does not only state the problem but provide some empirical evidences and solutions

Well done Dr. Danso.

You can order the book at https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=35131 or buy it from your local bookstore.

ISBN: 1-4257-2499-X (Trade Paperback)

ISBN: 1-4257-2500-7 (Hardback)

Pages: 246

Okyere Bonna, MBA