A well-known businessman in Ghana, Sam Jonah, has issued a call to action for professionals, pushing them to give up their complacency and actively participate in topics pertaining to the country’s growth.
Jonah drew attention to a general pattern among professionals, according to which they tend to speak up only when a problem directly affects their jobs or financial interests. He cited a current instance in which the minister of foreign affairs recently voiced public worries about corruption and bribery at the passport office.
Jonah urged the members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana to actively participate in issues relevant to national development while highlighting the significance of their involvement in addressing such issues while addressing them.
“Recently, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway stormed the passport office to chase out overstayed officers. Of an agency under her ministry she asked how passport services of 100 and 200 Ghana cedis were being charged illegally at 2000 and 3 000 Ghana cedis respectively. The goro boys are outside the passport office, she said, but they need somebody inside to work with; they cannot do it on their own.”
“There are many instances of senior public officials in charge of affairs speaking of corruption. Just yesterday, the Attorney-General Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame bemoaned how public officials responsible for procurement activities in public institutions continue to engage in insider trading, an action he says is having a significant negative impact on the economy, and the development of society,” he said on September 6, 2023.
Sam Jonah claimed that these professional organizations lack the passion to participate in and voice in national dialogues that bring about change.
He indicated: “Today, despite all that is happening, one hardly hears from professional bodies regarding the welfare of the nation. Most associations will only be heard when it concerns their salaries or businesses. Teachers’ associations, journalists, nurses, doctors, surveyors, lawyers, accountants, architects, planners, social workers, psychologists, etc. are all present in this country. What is lacking is the ability of these bodies to assert themselves with the requisite patriotic zeal in matters of national concern.”