I recently travelled on the Madina-Legon stretch of road and I was saddened by at what I saw. Hawkers have taken over this highway. Sellers have gushed out of the main Madina market onto the streets, posing problems to pedestrians and drivers. Their own lives are at risk. And most importantly, nobody cares! As I drove on, I began musing over why people would not sell in the market provided instead. Poverty, indiscipline, lack of training, poor leadership and struggle for survival came to mind as some of the reasons for the increase in the number of hawkers on the streets of Accra and other regional capitals in the country. As a country with a lower middle income status and widely seen as the star and hope of Africa, one wonders if the current scene on our streets would not erode these modest gains. A colleague of mine on a recent trip to Kigali in Rwanda observed and wrote that “there was not a single child screaming, ‘yeeeeees, pure water’ by the car window when we got to the traffic lights. I convinced myself to say it’s a dream.” Even Rwanda, a country so much stigmatised by many, including Ghanaians due to its several years of civil war which led to the 1994 genocide, has put measures in place to ensure that their streets are not used as a haven for hawkers. How old is Ghana again? The country will mark its 56th birthdays on March 6, 2013 and amongst all the achievements which have over the years been touted by governments, past and present, can we boldly say that in this day and age, and 56 years after independence, the youth are in school to be educated and not on the streets selling to put food on the table for their families? The capital of Ghana, Accra has been named the Millennium City by Mayor Alfred Vanderpuye but does the name reflect the city’s present status? Governments and city authorities at certain times of the year make efforts to rid the streets of hawkers. Markets are sometimes built for the hawkers to sell their wares. They however sneak their way back onto the streets with the reason that they record low sales due to the location of the market. The sheds are then left empty and at the mercy of the weather to rot. It also becomes a den and hiding place for criminals from where they coordinate their activities. Some of such markets have also become dumping sites by residents and a place of convenience as well. A known example is the pedestrian mall at the Kwame Nkrumah circle. My view is that our leaders lack the guts to enforce what is right. This view is further strengthened by the seeming superficial approach we adopt in solving problems and a certain fixation to power even at the expense of the future of the country. I give two examples relevant to the subject under discussion. Prior to the Odododiodio by-election in 2005, then mayor, Stanley Agyiri Blankson embarked on a spirited, expensive yet useful venture to clear the street of hawkers. The streets of central Accra became free of both vehicular and human traffic. The mayor received plaudits from well meaning Ghanaians for his boldness. Unfortunately, this did not last! Just when the by-election necessitated by the demise of Samuel Nii Ayi Mankattah, NDC Member of Parliament was announced the authorities relaxed. The situation became worse because the government of the day wanted favour with the people. In a matter of days the hawkers were back. Authorities immediately forgot that leadership is about taking hard decisions! The second experience is just like the first, only that the actors had changed. Alfred Vanderpuye became mayor. His pledge to make Accra become one of the cleanest and functioning cities in Accra is still clear in my mind. He had so much energy, drive and vision. Some of us applauded his ‘no-nonsense’ attitude. All he knew was that things must work! Not long after that, he came into contact with resistance from officialdom and human rights groups. He was later overwhelmed by the need to remain in power so hawkers in Accra were left off the hook to cause human and vehicular traffic all in the name of selling to feed their families. He also forgot that leadership is about taking hard decisions!