The greatest asset in life indisputably, is the mind. The mind is the most potent force. We are at the onset of a new era. It therefore becomes imperative for the critical mass of our energy to be focused on the development of the mind. The quality and qualitative mind development is a twin agenda. First is the development of well round individual with full potential of the head , heart, and hand. The second but equally important is the development of the all vital nationalistic mind.
The current global market has long shifted premium from material resources to a know-how world. In other words, premium value of national wealth is placed on the qualitative mind and its quantitative measure. This is why Ghana, inspite of our abundant natural resources, which resulted in our colonial name Gold Coast, is currently in a difficult economic state. Indeed, it is principally because of our material wealth that Ghana and Africa were colonized.
Our so called third world contemporaries have jumped to first world status because of the global knowledge based economy. China, India, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and others are examples of these contemporaries. This is irrespective of their relative less endowed natural resources. Knowledge based technological advancement accounts for this quantum leap.
However, a critical analysis of the prevailing global geopolitical knowledge based economy reveals a cardinal deception.
This clever deception is in the scientific fact that the mind is also a natural resource. So just as raw materials can be processed to add value, same value addition can be achieved with the mind. With this solid fact, the compelling economic argument must be tabled that the mind and other material resource are natural resources also. This position will subsequently raise premium stake of material resource relative to knowledge wealth. After all, resultant knowledge appreciation manifest on its environment or material processed.
The above equation is not geared towards devaluation of developed mind or knowledge. Neither is it because we cannot compete. Rather it is to earn us the rightly deserved additional competitive urge. With the status quo of global knowledge based economy, we loose out on the undervalued material resources. This brings out vividly, the hypocrisy and cardinal deception of the international economic order.
The economic argument above is absolutely legitimate for two solid reasons. First, why would some minute part of humanity stoop so low to dehumanize other humans through the twin evil of slavery and colonization? Both were in the quest for raw materials. Secondly why is it only at the conclusion of executed concerted plan to damage the mind of both enslaved and colonized, that poles shifted to knowledge based global economy?
The answer is very simple. The slave dealers and colonizers cannot compete successfully in a fair global economic order. Analogy of the costs of cocoa and VW Beetle automobile paints a clearer picture of the argument above. In the 50’s and 60’s , a tonne of cocoa and a VW Beetle cost the same between $2000 and $3000. In 2015, the cost of cocoa has devalued to less than $1500 while the VW Beetle has quadrupled to over $8000. Yes, technology for making VW has improved. So also has the technological science and labour improved the cocoa beans! On top of that, the farmland has also appreciated in value! Whereas a tonne of cocoa could buy a VW in the 50s and 60s , over five tonnes of cocoa is needed to purchase the same Beetle VW in 2015.
Our raw materials are of critical necessities. Cocoa for example, is of vital essence to the West It borders on the balance of life of the Caucasian world .The pharmaceutical industry is one of the their economic fundamentals. Secondly but more importantly is the health sector. According to the United Nations Statistics, depression is the leading health issue in the West. Anti-depressant is therefore the number one consumable from the pharmaceutical shelf. The chief source of anti-depressants is cocoa! With this background it is unimaginable to accept to the low global market premium placed on our invaluable raw materials such as cocoa. The global economic order must be renegotiated now! This is the crux of the second phase of the independence revolution. The economic argument being tabled, must bring the cost of a tonne of cocoa up to the cost of VW Beetle currently. Thus the current cost of cocoa tonne should be over $8000! If this solid scientific economic argument is tabled at negotiations in our oil industry for example, our share value will not be less than 45%. As it stands now, the share ratio means our oil and other raw materials have virtually no cost. But that is a false premise. The raw material is as important as the finding and value adding process. If the raw material was given by nature, the mind is also a nature given asset!
The loud frantic call by CPP is therefore for the development of both individual and nationalist mind set. This will enable us to negotiate the international order fairly. Secondly, it will propel us to manufacture such needed commodities as the automobile locally. Gladly and proudly, great signs of elements like Kantanka Industrial Complex are emerging. It is indeed an era of the great promise teething with great prosperity.
Government must move in a priority national agenda to give the needed biased support to such great potentials for the national economy. This knowledge based economy or mind development is simply an amalgamation of three components, derived from the ideological spirit of self-reliance.
Self-Reliance is one of the four cardinal pillars of CPP. The other three are Pan Africanism, Socialism and the Green Flag. The resultant subsequent policy of self-reliance manifest in education, manufacturing and services industry. It is in this regard, that CPP through the first administration of Ghana worked tirelessly to establish the uncountable education and manufacturing institutions across the country.
Ghana and Africa deserves better. The current global economic order is unfair. It must be renegotiated. We must develop the systems for this imperative fair international order. Self-reliance is a cardinal priority principle for any great culture and nation. CPP is ready to renegotiate our global market premium as demonstrated by our enviable track record. Forward ever! Nkunim wo ho mayen!! God bless Africa!!!
yawnkunim@ymail.com
If the mind is so important, which I believe it is, then why are Ghanaians going to enormous lengths to destroy people’s minds, especially those of children.
You tell Ghanaians about this and they sort of smile and shrug it off as if you have no idea what you are talking about. Wake up Ghanaians you are destroying yourselves both mind and body. Wake up churches, wake up information centres, wake up bars, wake up merchants,
The scientific and medical information about how noise damages mind and body is enormous. It certainly reduces the abilities of children to learn, to read, to study, and to speak. Even the World Health Organisation says “Noise Can Kill”, The Ghana EPA has said that noise is a silent “killer”
Adverse Health Effects from the EPA USA
http://www.epa.gov/air/noise/ochp_noise_fs_rev1.pdf
Noise can pose a serious threat to a child’s physical and psychological health,
including learning and behavior. For example, noise can:
INTERFERE WITH SPEECH AND LANGUAGE. Repeated exposure to noise
during critical periods of development may affect a child’s acquisition of
speech, language, and language-related skills, such as reading and listening.
IMPAIR LEARNING. The inability to concentrate in a noisy environment
can affect a child’s capacity to learn.
IMPAIR HEARING. Tinnitus, often described as a ringing or buzzing
sound in the ear, is a symptom associated with many forms of
hearing loss.
NIHL is a permanent hearing impairment resulting from
prolonged exposure to high levels of noise or by sudden high
level (impulse) noise.