Head of European Studies at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo
Head of the European Studies at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo has directed subtle jabs at the President after describing his government as lacking leadership.
Professor Ransford Gyampo observed that President Akufo-Addo comes across as a ‘man who means well’ for the country and has plans that will enure to the nation’s benefits.
Despite this, Dr Gyampo in an assessment of the first two years of his administration remarked that the government seemed to lack leadership.
He explained that the features he observed of President Akufo-Addo are similar features portrayed by Former President Atta-Mills insisting that governance of developing country like Ghana does not need ‘people who only mean well but leaders’
“Governance is about leadership. What I have seen, in fact, I saw this with President Atta-Mills and I am seeing this with Akufo-Addo, and what I am seeing is that they both mean well. Atta-Mills meant well and Akufo-Addo means well. If you sit with him one-on-one and you listen to him you will know he means well. But governance of a developing country like Ghana that is fighting the quagmires of poverty and underdevelopment does not need people who only mean well. It needs people who can lead” he detailed.
In clarifying his position on the matter, the head of the European Studies at the University of Ghana stressed that being the head of a group or an institution does not necessarily make one a leader.
In his opinion, the ability to influence the people around you to achieve the desired result with their unflinching support and cooperation makes one a leader.
To this end, Professor Ransford Gyampo alleged that Akufo-Addo has surrounded himself with people who are pursuing their own agenda to the detriment of his own vision.
Professor Ransford Gyampo cited Former Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor as two formers leaders who displayed leadership by getting their appointees to fall in line and work in the interest of the government.
He chided the President for failing to hold his appointees to the same standard of ‘incorruptibility’ considering the alleged corruption cases that have occurred during his tenure.
To buttress his point, he noted the numerous corruption allegations levelled against AKufo-Addo’s appointees which he believes may not all be sanctioned by the President and questioned why the appointees will engage in such acts when the President has been touted as ‘incorruptible’.
“…generally under Rawlings’ time, no minister dared going contrary to what Rawlings stood for. They were scared. In J. A. Kufuor’s time, every Minister was whipped into line. And so I am saying that President Akufo-Addo I admire him, I have a lot of respect for him, he has the pedigree to be a successful president and he means well but my advise is that he should rethink the calibre of people he is working with because some of them have their agenda. Some of the corrupt practices that are going on are not sanctioned by the President but they are going on amongst your own appointees. If you have a President who says I am incorruptible then you should be able to have appointees who would also say, you are also incorruptible. But if you say you are incorruptible and others around you are doing contrary to what you stand for then it means there is no leadership” Professor Ransford Gyampo opined.
Rating the President’s tenure in office since he was sworn in on 7th January 2017, the head of the European Studies at the University of Ghana scored him ‘average’.
He said the score of 49.5% was a fair result considering the work done so far in achieving some promises the NPP made ahead of the 2016 elections and the challenges and policy defects that have been witnessed.
He challenged Akufo-Addo and the government to focus their energies on delivering on the main promises they told Ghanaians since most people will judge them based on those.
Professor Ransford Gyampoh cautioned the government to also implement policies and pursue development that will directly improve people’s lives.
The political scientist asserted, “In order for me not to make them complacent, I will rate them 49.5%. They should work on the rest of their core promises. They are majoring on minor issues. Creating new regions, it doesn’t bring about development. Ghanaians voted for this government to bring about tangible development. Good governance is about the effective and efficient management of scarce resources such that it manifests into tangible developmental outcomes reflected in the lives of the people. In my view, if the government is able to pursue 1D1F projects and the other tangible projects that people can feel in their lives it will go places.”
