News: Can Ghana Learn Something From Nigeria

By Josephine Nettey 

The government of Nigeria, through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, who visited the Dangote oil refinery site at Lekki Free Trade Zone, in Lagos, has assured Aliko Dangote that, government was ready to help him finish the construction of the refinery, before the stipulated date of December 2019.

The refinery when completed, will be the biggest in the world with the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The prospect of the refinery is high, because Nigerians, have demonstrated over the years that, they will eat what they grow and grow what they eat.

In Ghana, we have a penchant for everything foreign, we wear foreign cloth, eat foreign food, sit on foreign chairs, wear foreign shoes etc, at the detriment of locally manufactured or produced ones.

Whiles, we consume everything foreign, we are creating jobs for the citizens of the countries we import from.

We do not only refuse to buy made in Ghana goods, we conspire to kill local entrepreneurs, with successive governments going after businesses, they perceive belong to individuals, who do not support them.

Over the years, we have struggled to stabilize the local currency, against its major trading partners, because of our avowed taste for foreign goods and services.

Parliament, has enacted many laws for the citizenry, it is about time our Members of Parliament (MP) show leadership by example, by enacting a law that says, no MP, should wear foreign cloth to the August House.

We have introduced Friday wear, strangely those who work at the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are those who seldom wear it.

Nigerians and their government, have shown us the way; we have many indigenous companies doing very well and with little support, can compete with major companies anywhere in the world.

The government must identify those companies and offer them the necessary support, regardless of the political parties its owners support.

If Nigeria can do it, Ghana can certainly do it, it is time to learn some valuable lessons from them.

source theheraldghana