Ensure paradigm shift in management of economy — Samia Nkrumah
The country needs a new orientation and revolution of ideas in the management of the economy, a former chairperson of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Samia Yaba Nkrumah, has said.
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She also called for collaboration and networking among Africa’s peers since no nation could do it alone. She, therefore, stressed the need for African countries and their governments to start thinking of integrating their societies in order to build their economies, infrastructure and industries to improve on the quality of life of the people.
Ms Nkrumah who is seeking to contest the Joromo parliamentary seat in the Western Region as an independent candidate in the 2024 general election said this in an interview on Graphic’s TV show, Your Ghana, My Ghana, on YouTube co-hosted by Dede Amanor-Wilks and Ruby Ofori.
Ms Nkrumah was the first guest of the show which centred on women and politics.
Context
Ms Nkrumah, who won the Jomoro seat on the ticket of the CPP in the 2008 general election, was responding to a question on how the economic issues of the country could be addressed.
She said one of the solutions to the country's economic problems was to start manufacturing and reducing imports, saying that the situation was not about a particular political party or government.
She added that the issue went beyond Ghana, and that it encompassed all African countries. “The whole global economic system does not favour us, and we are there struggling. We need a whole reorientation and revolution in the way we are managing our countries economically.
“I dare say it will be very difficult to do it on our own without other African countries so the tipping point will be when our governments and countries realise that for Africa countries to thrive and be able to deliver to our citizens a better quality of life we have to start thinking of integrating our societies and building our economies by building our infrastructure and industries, " she stated.
That, she said, brought Ghana and the continent back to the ideals and vision of her father, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, that Africa must consider uniting and integrating for its very survival.
Free trade area
Responding to another question on how much hope she had for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA ), Ms Nkrumah said it was an old idea anchored on the goals of the founding fathers of the Organisation of African Unity, known today as African Union, which was in the right direction.
She said the AfCFTA would help the continent break the boundaries and barriers between countries. She added that AfCFTA should be implemented with the focus on the industrialisation plan in that vision in mind, saying in order for us to break barriers and integrate properly it has to be done with things being done locally on the continent.
"Otherwise what are we going to be trading with each other,” she asked.
Ms Nkrumah stressed that AfCFTA was in the right direction and must be supported by all and sundry. “All the previous plans and accords that we had for Africa's industrialisation must be on the table alongside the African Continental Free Trade Area," she added.
Rural development
Stressing her passion for Africa’s industrialisation, Ms Nkrumah disclosed that she had established a coconut processing factory in Jomoro, her constituency, to produce virgin coconut oil and coconut charcoal which were in great demand.
She stressed the need for the country to set up industries in the rural areas where the raw materials were in abundance in order to create jobs for the people. "That is where our economic and agro-industrial activities have to happen in our rural areas," she said.