Ghana: Giving back to the community…with difficulties

It is said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. But the wealth of a nation depends on the investments of infrastructure and human resources that a government places on the health of the nation.

Both complement one another to attain a Six Sigma status. But the health of a nation, and by extension its wealth, is anchored in the education of the populace.

Since independence, Ghana has placed a premium on its educational system.  Some who came out of public second-cycle schools have benefited from government scholarships and bursaries made possible by the sweat and toil of peasant cocoa farmers.

Up until 1971, public tertiary institutions charged no tuition fees based on the accelerated education strategy of 1951.

Currently, few medical students graduate with government sponsorships, while the majority rely on loans or are sponsored by parents and/or family. Others get admissions and attend medical schools outside of Ghana on scholarships or as fee-paying students.

Some who graduate from Ghana’s medical schools and other tertiary schools in areas such as the arts, sciences, and engineering end up elsewhere for further studies. It is this crop of academia that Amandla is interested in.

Call them post-independence “baby boomers” if you will; most first-and second-generation Ghanaians in the diaspora possess enviable academic credentials and experiences and are now retired.

While some will prefer to enjoy their retirements in their current places of abode, quite a number of them are eager and contemplating relocating to Ghana—to help—by giving back to the country that to all intents and purposes helped define and shape their future.

A majority of these baby boomers enjoyed free tertiary education in Ghana. Giving back to their country is therefore a conscious effort of appreciation. And they require token or no financial compensation and/or remuneration in giving back to their country of origin!

Some of these scholars and professionals could supplement faculty needs of colleges and universities as adjunct professors, lecturers, and instructors. Others could be out in the field imparting their acquired skills and knowledge to students and industry.

Unfortunately, whether by default or design, Ghanaians in the diaspora who have attempted to give back to Ghana in kind have had unending bureaucracy and red-tapism placed in their paths. Some recoil to enjoy their retirements quietly and peaceably.

In the U.S. a number of Ghanaian professional bodies have been eager to render services to the government and people of Ghana, gratis, only to be faced with frustrations.

We have the Ghanaian Engineers and Architects Association of America (GEAAA), the New York–based Association of Ghanaian Lawyers of America (AGLA), and the New Jersey–based Ghanaian Association for Medical Aid (GAMA), among others.

Goodwill missions to Ghana by these professional non-profit bodies are self-sponsored, air ticket and all. But many have faced roadblocks and frustrations along the way in their attempts to help the needy in Ghana.

Ghanaian civic and social organizations that have sprouted up in so many localities in the U.S. have had their share of frustrations in attempts to donate much-needed materials to their communities in Ghana.

For them, frustration starts at points of entry at Ghana ports. As such, most sociocultural, civic, and ethnic associations in the U.S. are reluctant and unenthusiastic to give back to their communities back home.

This must not be a surprise to any discerning Ghanaian, given the fact that life-saving medications, equipment, and other health accoutrements donated by the Global Fund were detained at the Tema port for more than six months before the Health Minister stepped in to clear the goods.   

In one particular instance, the efforts of an apparently aged African American who wanted to donate books of all persuasions—rare, text, history, novels—to Ghana did not materialize for the above reasons. We later learned that another African embassy quickly stepped in and shipped the tons of books to its country.   

Solutions

Amandla would like to suggest proactive steps to facilitate the trove of experience, skills, and knowledge that are lying fallow of its retired citizens in the diaspora who are willing to relocate home.  

First, enabling/licensure bodies must expunge colonial mentality and bottleneck regulations for a smooth transition. How else would a reputable, well-known professional be required to document his existence outside of Ghana, when he’s been conspicuously known by the same entity?

Efficient coordination between Diaspora Affairs (under the Presidency) and Ghanaian embassies and consulates abroad must be effected.

The embassies and consulates must be conspicuously involved in Ghanaian communities vis-à-vis religious, sociocivic, and professional bodies. Registered and reputable Ghanaian organizations in a given state or country must also register their entities with Ghana consulates and with yearly updates.

The diplomatic missions, through these channels, could document qualified retired baby boomers willing to relocate and advise the Diaspora Affairs Department accordingly. Diaspora Affairs must develop a database of qualified professionals to help facilitate placement options.  

In the U.S., years of experience in a given field of studies may be enough to teach in an institute of higher learning without necessarily holding a PhD. But that may not be the case in public tertiary institutions in Ghana. Could that be modified, to make teaching qualifications more flexible?

Could a legislative instrument in Parliament cut the mustard to harness the human resources of Ghana’s expertise in the diaspora?

Must we waste such minds at the expense of outdated and counterintuitive regulations? Indeed, the slogan of the United Negro College Fund puts it succinctly:

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”