"Visionary Leaders Are Short In Supply In Ghana" – Prof. Yankah

A Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Victor Kwabena Yankah, has said “visionary leaders are short in supply in Ghana.”

He says Ghanaian leaders, most often do not think ahead but only adopt knee-jerk and adhoc measures to address issues. Rather than being prudent in implementing policies that would be of benefit to the future generation, Prof. Yankah says short time measures are what Ghanaian leaders subscribe to.

Citing Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as someone who exhibited visionary leadership, he admitted some leaders tried to be visionary in the Fourth Republic but to no avail.

He was giving insight to Ghanasonline.com on a keynote address he delivered as a Chair at a ‘Presidential Globe African Heroes Honours 2022’, organised by the Rectitude International Mission in Accra on Friday, January 21, 2022.

“How many of our leaders can think ahead or have thought ahead and said let’s do this for the next five years? I’m doing this and the next five years, people will still come and say this thing is useful? We go for adhoc measures. We’re only using knee jerk solutions. You got to really think ahead, plan ahead –so a visionary leader plans ahead and he knows in the next 10, 15 years, this is where we should be and so this is what I’m working towards. And so when the person comes up with some policies, those policies people may not want them, people may not even understand them but in six, seven, eight years, they’ll say this man was really doing something” “Nkrumah did that. Today we’re still using the Akosombo Dam, aren’t we? But the time he was building the dam people said it was not necessary but today look,” he added.

Speaking about the Fourth Republican leadership, he indicated “we haven’t got them [visionary leaders]. Some have tried….I don’t want to mention names but I know that some of our presidents have tried to really look ahead to do something. That’s why I’m saying they’re rare. I did not say they don’t exist, they’re rare.”

Some of the honorary recipients at the night included Samuel Sarpong, former Kumasi Mayor; Agyaba Jewellery, Kwamena Idan and a host of others.

The main awardees also included Nana Agyenim Boateng of Produce Buying Company (PBC), who was given the ultimate award as “Public Servant of the 4th Republic” for being the longest serving Ghanaian whereas some media personalities were awarded for their excellence and contributions in Ghana’s development.

They included Blessed Godsbrain Smart of Onua TV/FM, Andy Dosty of Hitz FM and a host of others.

Source: Ghanasonline.com