Economist, Kwame Pianim, has lamented the leadership deficit cost in the country, revealing that the deficit cost for each Ghanaian is $30,000.
According to him, it has become increasingly and painfully evident that the leadership deficit in Africa is very expensive.
With this, he juxtaposed Ghana and Korea which both started at the same level with regards to per capita income around the 1950’s. He explained that although Ghana had a higher per capita income, Korea has surpassed it.
“Sixty-two years later, Korea, has GDP per capita of $32,000, Ghana $2,000. The leadership deficit cost is $30,000 per head of every Ghanaian that people like me and the political leaders of this country owe as a reparation to each Ghanaian – the cost of the leadership deficit. So, you’re addressing a problem that is dear to the heart of not only Ghanaians, but of Africans.”
Kwame Pianim
Although Korea has managed to turn its economy around, Mr Pianim stated that Korea had the good fortune of benefiting from the US geopolitical concerns in trying to contain communist Russia and communist China. In light of this, he noted that the US opened its market, technology and capital to Korea.
“After macroeconomic stability, you need to takeoff, but to takeoff, you need to have some products and services that you can then supply to the global world and Korea started with garments and textiles and that was the springboard and they managed within 25 years to attain critical mass and are now cruising. When you get to the cruising level, that is where a virtuous cycle of growth, where self-regenerating growth takes place.”
Kwame Pianim
Population of Ghana by 2057
Speaking at the UPSA annual leadership lecture 2023 today, December 11, on the theme: ‘Reimagining Ghana’s development trajectory for a peaceful, prosperous nation by 2057’, Mr Pianim stated that prior to the lecture, he had a conversation with Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah of the National Population Council on the population of Ghana.
He revealed that when it comes to most of the country’s development programs, experts do not think much about the National Population Council. Nonetheless, he explained that there’s a projection of 2% to 2.1% annual population growth in the country because Ghana’s fertility level has continued to soar, whereas mortality is declining.
“If we continue to do that, by 2057, we will be 69 million Ghanaians in this small place. See how crowded we are, it’ll overburden the free senior high school system, the university system – lecturers will be lecturing 200 students…”
Kwame Pianim
Despite the potential escalation of the country’s population, Mr Pianim stated that if Ghana is able to modulate the population, it can be addressed.
Justifying his stance, he noted that Ghana in the 1960’s started with 3% to 3.5% in population size, whereas Korea had 3% of annual growth population. However, he underscored that Korea reduced its population drastically and is now in the negative and encouraging people to have more children.
“We cannot develop, no country has ever developed at 2% growth in population, and the average woman having six children, we cannot do it… We need to modulate our population… I have set a target of $10,000, that is easily attainable. We could do more, but I want us to move away from the current pattern of sub growth.”
Kwame Pianim
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