Audio By Carbonatix
Entrepreneur Dr. Kofi Amoah says government appears to be running a Ponzi scheme with the economy given that it is borrowing to pay loans it has contracted.
Expressing his disgust at management of the economy, the CEO of entertainment hub, Citizen Kofi says Finance Minister Seth Terkper is “running a ponzi scheme” with the economy.
An “embarrassed Ghanaian” as he described himself, Dr. Amoah says looking for loans to fund investments is a poor choice amongst Ghana’s options for development.
He believes there are too many opportunities in Ghana that can generate money for the investments the country needs to make.
Agriculture remains one of Ghana’s “low hanging fruits” which can easily be plucked and turned into a multi-billion dollar industry, he said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show Monday.
Building his case for agriculture as the most viable development option, he showed the results of three countries, Israel, India, Brazil and an American state, California.
He said agriculture represents only 2.5% of Israel’s economy yet it contributes $10billion a year to that country's economy.
With Ghana’s infrastructure needing an estimated $1billion investment every year, it is easy to see how agriculture can build roads, hospitals and schools for 10 years if Ghana had Israel’s money from the soil.
He said the Central region has quality soil texture than Brazil yet the South American country produces 12 times Ghana’s yearly yield for maize.
He was not finished in his ‘simple’ analysis of Ghana’s seemingly complex challenges.
The entrepreneur cannot believe that Ghana is still importing oil palm when Western region has been identified as the key to cashing into the multi-billion dollar oil palm industry.
India imports six million tonnes of palm oil a year and China tops this up with 8.5 million tonnes, he revealed. Ghana can easily take advantage of this market, he maintained.
Although California is a state, it would have been the 15th wealthiest country in the world if it was ranked.
A 500-mile stretch of land in California has been dedicated to agriculture, he pointed out with shock seeping through his voice.
Dr. Amoah wondered why Ghana could not do this because according to him, “when you put people and land together, you generate wealth”.
For an even more imperative reason for Ghana to invest in agriculture, he referred to a prediction by the World Bank that the world will be experiencing a food crisis within 30 years.
According to Dr. Amoah, the manner in which governments are “running around… begging and looking foolish before everybody”, betrays the lack of understanding about building an economy.
Ghana is set to receive nearly one billion dollars in funding from the International Monetary Fund. The money will be spread over three years.
The country’s debt has been put at 76billion cedis, a figure which analysts say, exposes a lack of fiscal discipline.
Listen to audio
Latest Stories
-
Police arrest 6 women in child trafficking syndicate, rescue 3 victims
15 minutes -
22 heartbreaking hit-and-run cases in the last decade: A tragic decade on Ghana’s roads
17 minutes -
Three dead after volcano erupts on Indonesian island
19 minutes -
Galien Africa opens applications for 6th Prix Galien Africa Awards
22 minutes -
Former Botswana President Festus Mogae dies aged 86
30 minutes -
The May 9 dilemma: Celebration in the shadow of tragedy
41 minutes -
TOR turns to West African crude as revamp efforts deepen
41 minutes -
Jospong Group, VYNCKE forge landmark waste-to-energy partnership for Africa at IFAT, Germany
49 minutes -
Awerco Construction threatens legal action over Ministry of Health’s ‘false claims’ on Weija Specialist Children’s hospital
53 minutes -
Mamprugu Youth Association alleges Police extrajudicial killings in Zuarungu, demands independent inquiry
58 minutes -
Police arrest suspect linked to armed attack on VIP bus on Walewale–Nasia highway
1 hour -
Reduce BECE subjects from 10 to 4 to ease stress, save time—Eduwatch’s Kofi Asare
1 hour -
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Victory Day ceasefire
1 hour -
IGP special operations team arrest 50 suspects in anti-narcotics raid at Madina Market
1 hour -
South Africa president faces call to resign after court ruling
1 hour