Ghanas 2015 budget is out. As usual more taxes. Thats the usual highlight, year in, year out. New taxes. The people of Ghana are forever called upon by their governments to make sacrifices. Thats fine. But what do they get in return? Where is all this hardship leading to? Do we really consider where we are now, the road to prosperity? By the way, how will we know when we are on the road to prosperity? What is the relationship between this budget and the long term plan for prosperity? Over the years, the one real thing that could have made a difference, has not been done - adding value to our raw materials. Wow! After over fifty years as a nation, we have survived by selling the same raw products over and over again. (In a fraction of that time, Richard Branson built Virgin and is planning to take tourists to the moon. Never mind the set back. Things happen). In the late eighties when I interviewed Dr Botchwey, the Finance Minister, the plan was to add value to our raw materials. It is still the plan; and weve recently found another raw material (crude oil), that we are again selling in its raw form. We pay lip service. Yesterdays budget again pretends when it talks about growing manufacturing (adding value). How? With this power situation? With the absence of a plan? Folks, where is the plan? I dont mean political manifesto. I mean national development plan for a defined period that transcends electoral cycles. I have to stop here.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:30:29 +0000
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