Public Services in Ghana Today Stuck in Corrupt Bureaucratic Quagmire

....and Undermining Social and Economic Development

It is universally accepted and the Government has been right in embracing the idea that faster economic growth comes from the private sector. Successful enterprises with entrepreneurs sustaining and expanding their businesses, is the key to the sustainable growth that can drive local economies.

Since being elected the Government has touted the slogan of “Golden Age of Business” as part of its efforts to attract foreign direct investment and to tackle the huge problems of underdevelopment and unemployment in the country.

Unfortunately 3 years on the sustainability of success achieved through the various initiatives has not been fully realised . The government has failed to recognise that majority of the officials on whom it is relying on to manage the framework for delivering this vision are undermining the process because of their lack of education on the important issues involved.

This is most starkly illustrated in the way public servants employed and sustained on the public purse, Civil Servants in the Ministries, Government Agencies like Customs & Excise, Land Registration and Planning Departments and Local Authorities to mention a few, are actively working on a daily basis to create red tapes to undermine the success of private sector investments in Ghana today.

Apart from personal experiences, I am sure everyone knows some one who has tried to import industrial or transport equipment, purchased land legally, and attempting to acquire title deeds, submitted planning application for buildings to start a project, tried to register a company or vehicle or tried to take legal action in the Courts to enforce a contract, and have been frustrated by Public servants who on a daily basis go to work with the sole aim of creating red tape and barricades to enrich themselves at the expense of the well being of their fellow citizens.

Whilst hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent to market the concept of the golden age of business and Ghana as the gateway to West Africa for the attraction of foreign direct investment, the fact the government must face is that there exists a huge pool of Ghanaians whose efforts at participating in the investment efforts is being undermined purely because they are Ghanaians and the country’s public servants would rather undermine them than their Lebanese, Indian or Taiwanese counterparts. I am sure you have heard of Alhaji Banda’s efforts to set up a private Airline and the redtape, obstructions and the unhelpful nature of public servants who should be bending over backwards to help this man succeed.

On another note, can someone tell me, how is it possible, that a Ghanaian investor wishing to register the title deed of legally purchased undisputed land for an investment project able to deliver benefits to the economy and people should have to go through the following;

18/10/94 - Submission of Project Plan to Title Deeds Registry
27/04/95 – Asked to chase up with visit to Surveys Department – Nothing done come back another time.
17/11/97- Visit to Surveys Department – Nothing Done, come back another time
02/02/98- Nothing done, come back another time
02/04/98- Plans to be sent to Title Deeds Registry
03/01/00- Plans sent back to Title Deeds Registry
05/01/00- Visit to chase up
21/01/00- Another visit to chase up and site visit arranged
26/01/00- Site Visit Completed
04/02/00-Visit to chase up
01/11/01- Visit to chase up
23/07/01- Asked to go to Survey Department to chase up
24/07/01- Visit to Survey Dept to chase up
25/07/01- Another Visit to chase up at Title Deed Registry
30/07/01-Another visit to chase up
03/09/01- Another Visit to chase up
13/09/01-Another visit to chase up
10/09/01- Was asked to send plan particulars back to Survey Dept.
05/10/01-Another visit to chase up
12/10/01- Another visit to chase up
17/10/01- Another visit to chase up
05/07/02- Plan Copies sent back again to Title Deed Registry in Victoriaborg
03/10/02- Notice of Application finally published in national newspaper.
06/09/02- Another visit to chase up and application for certified True Copy
26/09/02- Another visit to chase up
30/09/02- Another visit to chase up
01/10/02- Another visit to chase up
04/11/02- Another visit and told plan sent for search
14/04/03- Another visit and told plan still for search
05/05/03- Another visit and told plan still for search
19/05/03- Another visit and told plan still for search
09/06/03- Another visit and told plan still for search At the time of going to press demands for bribes and tips were still being made and the land title deed for this pet project is still firmly stuck in the corrupt bureaucratic quagmire with no light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon.

Given the fact that most of the above errands were undertaken by a retired Government Principal Surveyor who was conversant with the legislation and the procedure for land title registration in Ghana, this is a stark lesson in how well meaning upstanding citizens can be failed by the policies and procedures designed to help them, whilst the nation and its fast increasing population remains impoverished and denied the benefits of hundreds of such projects initiated by well meaning Ghanaians up and down the country. This is a preposterous situation and now can anybody tell me , if this is not organised chaos then what hope is there of any government initiative or any public service organisation providing a decent, helpful service to the citizens of the country who wish to propel the engine of growth of the country.

In order to succeed in every sphere of our national development, shouldn’t the elected government of the state be carrying out assessments both within and outside these agencies and encouraging them to take a more business friendly approach to all their work. Shouldn’t government ministers and the powers that be start thinking of consulting public service customers about their experience of the service and making concerted efforts to improving delivery ? Shouldn’t they also be taking action to educate citizens on their expectations of public services , holding public servants accountable, removing red tape, simplifying procedures, punishing those public servants who always interpret their employment as a chance to jump on the gravy train ?

Above why are public servants not being made to understand that obstructions, red tape and illegal activity aimed at extracting bribes from their fellow citizens only worsens the plight of the country and the general wellbeing of every one including them. Do they really understand that lack of decent roads, employment opportunities, clean drinking water, decent education and health facilities in their own hometowns and villages up and down the country is the result of the bad way they conduct themselves ?

In today’s globalized world, we should stop deluding ourselves with slogans and pay more attention to the building blocks that would make the objectives possible. with our co equals, Singapore, Malaysia, and Bostwana still making huge strides ahead, SHOULDN’T WE BE RUNNING WHILST THEY ARE WALKING ?

Stephen Nyako
Management Consultant