Former Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has underscored the need for focused and dedicated leaders in Ghana to address the country’s many challenges.

Speaking on TV3 on December 3, 2024, he stated that African countries, including Ghana, have struggled with ineffective leadership for a long time.

According to Frimpong-Boateng, true leadership should prioritise addressing the basic needs of the population, while also preparing citizens for emerging threats like climate change and globalisation.

"We have had a leadership crisis for a very long time. Not only Ghana but Africa as a whole. After all, the whole function of leadership is to meet the necessities of a population. Any biological population can be a family, a group of ants, termites, or human beings. Our basic needs are food, shelter, clothing, and defense.

"These are the basic needs leadership has to provide. And beyond this, there are ways to prepare the population for future challenges, climate change, and globalisation. Leadership is very important, but there are certain qualities that we should have, and we haven't had that for a long time," he stated.

The former minister pointed out the need to sacrifice for the greater good, drawing a comparison to the commitment shown by the United States’ founding fathers in their Declaration of Independence, where they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for the survival of the nation.

He also voiced concern over the lack of character among many of Ghana’s leaders, pointing out that leadership positions often expose flaws in character, which do not improve over time.

"We can single out Nkrumah because he came, and he wanted to do something. I have not attended any leadership seminar, but in life, if you want to achieve something and leave a legacy and do something for your people, you have to sacrifice, and we haven't had that kind of leadership. When I talk about leadership, it is close leadership that has an aim," he noted.

JKB/AE

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