So I finally
found the inspiration for my next post (this very one) 3 days ago as I drove to
work. Right in front of my work building was a garbage truck blocking the
entrance to the parking lot. About to throw a how-could-you look to the driver
of the truck, I turned to look up only to see a familiar face. The garbage truck
driver turned out to be the very same driver that used to drive me and my
siblings to school. As far back as primary school. More than 10 years ago. We instantly
exchanged pleasantries and a bit of pep-talk. Curious as to why he was now
driving a garbage truck, he replied saying his kids are all grown up and in
high school now. Something’s gotta pay the bills.
Back at my desk
at work, I keep replaying our pep-talk and lots of questions running in my
mind. The most pressing of them being: After all these years of driving, why is
he now driving a garbage truck? I know he gave me a reason but my worry is
deeper than just paying bills.
My driver, Kwesi’s
story is probably typical for most hand-to-mouth living Ghanaians and others
all over the world. Do our economy not present opportunities for folks to break
out of such vicious cycle of poverty? In particular citizens with more
technical and ‘less formal’ education. I don’t exactly know the situation in other
developing countries but in Ghana, formal education and a degree certification
is almost a necessity for success, But should that be the case? What then
happens to the hardworking Kwesis out there who for various circumstantial
reasons end up learning an essential trade? Is that a passport to eternal
hand-to-mouth living? No wonder Kwesi is doing all he can to make sure his kids
get a formal education. Woe to them to follow in his footsteps.
In my opinion…
All too often in
our quest as a country for growth and to be categorized a ‘developed’ country,
we lose sight of that which matters most. The wellbeing of the very ones we govern.
The road to alleviating poverty is a long and daunting one. We Know. But in the
interim, we really need to create opportunities for individual success.
Educated or ‘not-Educated’ / Driver or Student. There is the need for
micro-level policies to help break intergenerational poverty, you know that
poverty that just keeps passing on from one generation to the other. We need a
situation where every skill, technical or intellectual, can be aptly tapped
into to further our development.
Giving that in
most developing countries, our man power or labor is made up of mostly ‘un-skilled’
labor (I’ve always disliked this word since my high school economics class), it
is rather ironic that our policies, from education to employment, seem to lay
emphasis on the ‘skilled’ minority. For instance, in Ghana, poor small-scale
farmers produce about 80% of the food we consume and contribute 60% of agric
GDP yet receive only about 15% of government agriculture investment.
All I’m saying
is, whilst on our quest to becoming a ‘rich’ nation it is equally important to
create that space to engage and develop our best assets i.e the citizens. We are mostly all we have and we best make use
of us (citizens).
