Opinions of Monday, 11 July 2005

Columnist: Serwah , Nana Akua

The Garden City Deserves Better

I have read his writings on the web and his comments and analysis are refreshing but I wish he would be put in charge of KMA and let him change our great city as he helped transformed Knowlsey in Liverpool.

Last month I visited the Garden City of Ghana and was shocked to see the state of the great city. No wonder the people of Kumasi are angry and annoyed with the KMA and other organizations running the City.. The City still lives, breathes and operates as a ?village town?.

Great cities need excellent administrators and professional people who can bang-heads together and come up with solutions to ?city ? problems?. It is a pity that a country that gave the world Kofi Annan cannot find competent, professional intelligent, educated people to lead steer and build our great cities. Kofi Ghana was a disaster and a joker, Nana Akwasi Agyemang was a prank and a disgrace.

It may be politics or it may be the unwillingness of some of our dedicated and brilliant professionals both home and abroad to take up positions within Government. But the time has come for our Government to seriously headhunt candidates both home and abroad. United Kingdom?s Government has benefited a lot from the expertise of our fellow Ghanaians and some of them have actually worked in partnership to change the image of great towns, helped build the economy, NHS and the schools in UK.

Ghanaians are Great Professionals

In my last and article to the web, I heaped praises on Ghanaians abroad and in particular a Ghanaian who had a standing ovation on his eloquence and proposed solutions to inner city problems facing UK cities at a conference that I attended. Maybe I am a woman and women are not taking seriously in Africa.

I stated on these pages my surprise and our inability to tempt such talented Ghanaians back to their roots. Since then I am impressed and delighted by the attempts of the NPP to ?catch? Kofi Annan as their next Presidential candidate it is a good sign.

Our development is in our hands ? as the Director General of the Confederation of British Industries argued last week ? Africa needs to tap into its great talents in the West and send them packing to where they belong.

Where are the President?s Men?

I had nearly forget Mr. Appiah Danquah Kufuor till this morning when I read Kwame Kotre?s article ?Where are the President?s Men ?? Ghanaweb 3rd July 2005.

In his article Kwame Kotre wrote ?recently I read some articles by one Danquah Kufuor and another by Amoako Tuffuor ? I do not know who these individual are but the government needs to have a well organized counter punches like them to not only set the records straight???..?.Kwame Kotre went on to further argue that ?Amoako Tuffuor or Danquah Kufuor can only cast one vote but each counter remarks can bring a thousand followers?

I have one on you Kwame Kotre; I have actually met with Mr. Danquah Kufuor and heard him speak at a major conference. I have not met Amoako Tuffuor. You are absolutely right in whatever you say about him. I want the Government or someone to send Appiah- Danquah Kufuor packing from his comfortable zone in the UK. The world is not only about pounds sterling.

Chief Executive of KMA.

His writings on the web and his comments and analysis are refreshing, but I wish he could stop writing and zoom off home to help our development. Talk is cheap. If he is serious as he seems to be let the Government appoint him on performance pay and take charge of Kumasi Municipal Authority o wages unless he delivers as he keeps writing about delivery. Kumasi is a great City ?the second city in Ghana ? it must have the best to lead.

Let him take charge of our great city and transform its fortunes as he and his colleagues did for Knowsley in Liverpool. Let us start to put these professionals to task by challenging them and seeing whether they can deliver. Put your money where your mouth Mr.Appiah- Danquah Kufuor go home and deliver.

KMA Assembly Members write to me personally and I will pass on the message to his employers Talk is cheap Appiah ? Danquah Kufuor Go home and assist- enough of the Fish and Chips.



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