An investment banker, Mr Afari Donkor has advised Ghanaians against the penchant to morosely revel in past glories. He said the nation should instead wake up from its slumber and adopt pragmatic measures to facilitate its development. “We should stop as a country getting into this mode of ‘we were the first to have independence’…this principle or theory of primus inter pares should stop, it doesn’t make sense, it is false! Focus, he argued, should be on doing things properly and learning from the experiences of other progressive nations. Speaking on Joy FM’s Current Affairs Progamme, Front Page, Mr Donkor said retrogressive attitudes such as ‘African time’ and other forms of negative work attitudes must cease. He emphasised the need for Ghanaians to recognize that a country’s development is inextricably linked to the culture of the people and that so long as the citizens hold unto negative cultural practices, the nation’s development will continue to stagnate. Mr Donkor was particularly unhappy with the amount of time spent on social events such as funerals, saying it lowers productivity. Another Economist, Dr Kwaku Osafo said he did not share the optimism of others that Ghana would see some significantly accelerated development with the discovery of oil because development is hinged on “education and skills rather than natural resources.” He argued that it is more beneficial for a people to depend on their brains and creativity than on natural resources. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana