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THE HUMAN FACTOR – WHY POOR LEADERSHIP IS DESTROYING OUR FORTUNES.

There is a general consensus that Ghana as a country is either heading in the wrong direction or getting just plain messed up. Power crises and the persistent power outages that we thought belonged to decades gone are back, blatant corruption now are back with new schemes of supposed debt judgments, and the leaders we have are neither able to articulate a path forward nor deliver solutions that inspire confidence. Unfortunately, these perceptions have not just been with the current government but also with previous ones. My advice to the President of Ghana, if I had an opportunity to advise him today, will be to have the courage to reshuffle the cabinet and bring in Ghanaians, regardless of political affiliation, with substantial, relevant experience that will benefit him and his government. “Magnanimity does indeed accrue greatness to leadership"- our history of entrusting decision-making responsibilities to folks without relevant experience is destroying the country. This is

Poor Leadership in Africa

Blog Post by John Campbell Quartz Africa published a thought-provoking article by Lynsey Chutel titled “ The Mystery of Africa’s Disappearing Presidents .” Her take-off point is Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika, who went to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in mid-September and returned home only on October 16. His entourage refused to provide any itinerary. She cites other African leaders who take long ‘vacations’ or otherwise disappear from their countries for long periods of time: Cameroon’s President Paul Biya once spent three weeks in La Baule, France, at a cost of $40,000 per day and later spent two months at the Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva. With respect to the La Baule stay, his spokesman said, “Like any other worker, President Paul Biya has a right to his vacations.” Other African heads of state disappear for “medical reasons.” Because of the general lack of transparency, absence for medical reasons leads to speculation that the president in quest

Government needs to build confidence in the people, in two key areas

We have heard from Parliament, we have heard from former president Mahama, and we have heard from the President. What we have right now is a Byzantine Generals problem, where half the generals want one course of action and the other half want an opposite course but the people in the castle under siege do not know who wants what. The way you solve the Byzantine Generals problem is to agree on the rules, commit to transparency for all, and establish consensus. We all have families, and we can all identify with what happens when you extend your family’s expenses and must go to borrow money from neighbors or a bank. There is nothing wrong with borrowing to invest. However, when you are at a point when you are living beyond your means and spending a major part of your earnings on interest payments and living from day to day, then you know you have managed your affairs poorly. When the heatwave comes, that will be the day your air conditioner malfunctions, and you find out how badly you ha

WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY

So, you want to build an empire? How do you grow your business to multiples of 10 of your one year revenue? From $10million (GHS 40million) to $100million, to $500million and ultimately to a billion dollar company, enough to transform a sector of Ghana's economy?, to a size that creates sustainable wealth for your shareholders and other stakeholders? Today, Ghana as a country has no domestic multi-billion dollar companies that dominate any industry and that is a problem that ultimately means wealth-creation will continue to be severely restricted. For chief executives and senior management, the challenge of figuring out how to grow your business is further exacerbated by the throng of people with little or no experience in business going into politics and in the process becoming a further hindrance when they are not able to formulate supportive regulations and tax regimes. The fact is a lot of domestic family-owned businesses will not be around 10 years from hence as more we

We shall hold them accountable, to their children's children

He called me when he arrived in New York and gave me the address where he was staying that night. However, because of a previous engagement, I could not see him that evening. So, the following morning, at the height of the New York rush hour, I drove into the city from Connecticut to see him. Over lunch, Baah Wiredu, the former Finance Minister, shared with me his desire to solve the problem of abusive contracting and corruption in how the government awarded contracts. He was determined to do something about it and had complained about how a road construction contract given to a local chief was never honored. His determination to do something about such abuses showed in his face and his obvious weight loss was a testament to the task he envisioned. The plan to roll out a set of initiatives to take on corruption began the day I walked into his office to help him map out his entire reporting structure in the ministry. Just a few minutes after we sat down, a man walked in to tell him

Ghana, a country of our own

March 6, 2015 It is amazing the incredible amount of good tidings and hope that I am feeling on this day. Of course, it is not by accident that this day also happens to be the day in history when we claimed a country called Gold Coast, after years of being ruled by those who were not of us, those who share little in common with our history and heritage. Ever since that fateful day, our country has struggled to find its identity in order to make a home we can all proudly call our homeland Ghana. There is much to be thankful for, much to be appreciated and much to be hopeful for. All 25million of us are here because this is where we belong. That conviction and a sense of our own country, however, has been shaken in the past few years and months as we've had to endure dark nights and daily bickering on issues that never used to separate us. The common bond which forms the fabric of our story from Dagomba to Ga, through Ashanti, Brong, and Ewe to Fanti and Nzima, is under strain be