Should we look beyond the floods and diversify the products grown in the North?

It is rather encouraging that not only is the international communities contributing to our flood victims but also organisations within Ghana are also relief items and cash of millions of new ghana cedis through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), for the upkeep of the flood victims in the three Northern regions. The editorial on ghanaweb.com 4/10/2007 showed our caring attitude and hospitality.

The companies were said to be the following Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) who donated 20,000 bags of maize worth 2.4 billion cedis; Ghana Libyan Holding Company, 120 bags of rice worth 120 million cedis. Unibank, which had earlier contributed 82 million cedis cash to the Association of Bankers also presented 12 bales of second hand clothing which were collected from its employees.

Mitsui Group of Companies, dealers in Mitsui electronic products also donated 10 water storage tanks and food items valued at 19 million cedis. Fanmilk Ghana Limited also doled out 96 cartons of tampico products worth 28 million cedis and a cheque for 20 million cedis as well as and Metro TV made a presentation of 100 students mattresses plus 20 bags of rice all valued at 50 million cedis.

However, I just want to challenge Mr Simon Koranteng, Managing Director of ADB who said that, their company was touched by the plight of the victims since the bank was established to pursue the interest of farmers who are mostly in the rural and formed the majority of the victims. Would this also be the time to encourage our farmers to diversity?

He pointed out that, ADB was working out modalities, which would seek to assist the farmers. I would suggest that, this tragedy in the North would an excellent start to perhaps educate his clients to diversify and penetrate the world market with new products.

It would be vital to seize this opportunity of helplessness to enlighten our farmers in the Northern region to look beyond the flood and penetrate the markets with their own new products.

Why can’t we start planting olive trees, trees like pistachios grown in India, date palm trees, other crops grown in the other dry lands in the world and yielding good crops. It is about time we start penetrating the world markets with own home grown organic products.

Currently as there is so much money pouring into the North right now but if we are not careful we would be spending the money on mundane things rather than perhaps focusing on growing crops which would add value in the North. Let us give a new release of hope to the Northern region.

For example, a kilo of shelled roasted Pistachios sells at £6.49 in the U.K. The peeled shelled sells at £10 a kilo. Would it be a good idea for as a nation to rather invest in growing this crop too as well as perhaps olive and dates trees and also penetrate the markets with our own home grown products. Even exporting pepper to the Western countries fetches a great deal of money because it is easy to ship, does not rot on route and pepper in used in even Art and Craft in other countries. Sun dried tomato is also a product worth exploring and exporting. Also dried mangoes, pineapples, banana and nuts are all generating money in the Western world who hardly get the sun when take for granted. We desperately need to explore other crops, educate farmers into the right agriculture know how and marketing techniques to face this competitive world.

We need to ask the Indian, Libya, Chinese and other Ambassadors to link us to the right person to help us with the background knowledge of growing these crops. Instead of us just being on the receiving end with donations, loans, and aid. Let us now ask for others things other but loans. Ghana needs to be shown the tricks of the trade and not only be on the receiving end. The Bible has quotations about this.

Our Indian brotherly nation are brilliant in building their own bicycles, and using them for transportation for ferry tourists or as a means of their local transport. Our own University of Technology is not coming forth with the goods for example common bicycles. Why is this not happening? Are we so shy that we can not even ask the Embassies in Ghana to link us up to the right organisations and also their way of agriculture?

Our people in the North have been suffering living in temporary accommodation even before the floods. Does Ghana receive an annual lump of money earmarked to help the poor and vulnerable people?

On the contrary while our deprived population are suffering in abject poverty a small minority of Ghanaians are enjoying in Ghana. Ghana as a country is very vibrant, interesting and welcoming to live in however this happen when the means is there.

Where is the equality of our services leading to right now in Ghana? When some of us come to the Western societies and are treated differently and unfairly we then fight tooth and nail against being discriminated against. In some cases, even to the through the courts of law. On the other hand, the vulnerable people in Ghana are continuously being treated unfairly by their own system. Why should the vulnerable Ghanaians whose interest is the manifesto for presidential aspirant put up for being continuously discriminated against on their motherland? Is this fair? Let us reflect upon provision services in terms of basic amenities. I have highlighted that the North - South poverty divide is so vast.

In order to expose this problem head on and make poverty everyone business, it might be worth exposing students to face the reality of li8fe and offer them the opportunity to tasting life in the Northern region. It might be worth considering a sort of student exchange in Senior Secondary School (SSS) so that every student has a taste of what it is like in another region. This would then widen participation of idea sharing and becoming more aware of the plight each other faces. SSS could affiliate with a school of their own choice.

Back to my point again, where do our vulnerable citizens throughout Ghana stand in terms of equality of services? I have highlighted in one of my articles about the plight of the poor pensioners, widows with no children to bring them their daily bread, the elderly, the poor people living in our rural areas, disabled bodied, unskilled population with no access to free education or vocational training.

Let us all as concerned citizens rethink again about our vulnerable citizens. There is just too much inequalities in Ghana in all areas.

Nevertheless, there is hope though if we are able to use some of the monies pouring in to the North to generation New Hope in farming other than what is currently grown there.

If we diversify we would then introduce New Hope, aspirations and a new generation on confident population would grow rather than a population who feels they need to be pitied.

Fellow citizens, united as a nation and country to perform greater things but then if we become insular and only think of where we comes then we are heading toward severe danger. After all, when we pass away and go to the next one, I should think our Heavenly Father would only ask each and everyone of us exactly what we have done on earth to alleviate pains and suffering of our fellow mankind. What would your answer be? He will never ask you what you did for just your own immediate family and how many mansions you got. Our God or Allah that we all worship, loves his people to demonstrate their commitment to him by sharing their knowledge, wealth and offering practicable help to a wider community. If we perform these tasks well we then have an anchor to stand on, and His blessing would ever be flow in one’s corner of the world.

It is just overwhelming seeing donations pouring into the North. I just want to thank all those who have chipped in this diverse ways to alleviate the pains and suffering in the Northern region.

I would suggest that perhaps our numerous Embassies around the globe would also take an active part by putting a donation box in their Embassies so that everyone visiting there could perhaps donate something towards the transformation of the Northern region.

Fellow citizens let all be united as a community for motherland sake. What we need to realise is divided we fall, scattered and be ridiculed as a poor nation needing to be pitied. In short a, the world is ridiculing us knowing very well that Ghana as a nation is a “Paradise” yet more than happy to classifying itself as a Third World Country. This is the bottom line of this article.

Would it be about time to rethink about issues that matters most please please.