Why does Ghana still have to rely on the developed countries for basic things such as washing machines, food mixers, wheel chairs, push chairs when we have when we have a University whose role is solely for purely for Technology, i.e. KUST.

China is smart enough to pick a simple manufactured item from the developed world, get an example and copy it. The first few years the products are mediocre, but cheap. They learn, get market share, improve the product and start slowly expanding their range. After 15 years, they supply half the world with that product. We have serious questions to ask ourselves. Don’t we?

Recently, The Chinese Premier was in Ghana to open the motorway at Ofankor in Accra . One gathered that the China sponsored the full construction of the stretch of road. I guess our President is also reciprocating this by going to China to do something similair to honour Ghana’s name other than just being on the receiving end.

Ghanaians want credibilty to the name Ghana.. Have we heard of our Presdient opening major establishment in the developed world. Please do correct me if I have missed a grand opening of this nature at Ofankor in the rest of the world.

Are Ghanaians proud of such gesture? Is there anything in this world like a free meal as the English adage goes.? No there isn’t any ! Well there must be a catch somewhere.

Ghana is one of the market leaders in cocoa farming yet we are failing to extend the product by adding value to our cash crop and happily allowing others to add value to our cocoa product.

Ghana must not dare make the same mistake others have made selling off their oil reserves to the industrailised nations etc.

Given the population of China and India and the benefits of cocoa discovered by a leading Doctor recently, it is about time we market cocoa to China and India and encourage the popuplation to drink our cocoa power drink morning and evening to help with their immiune system; also many of the people are rich enough in these countries to buy luxuries like choclate sweets – they are the only growth markets left – the developed world is a saturated market. This would generate money to pay off debt money owed to these countires. Increase demand (25% of world live there!), Cocoa goes up in price and we can produce more. There fore we save our precious little cedis we have and focus the money into better school building for our children the fuutre workforce of Ghana.

The Government of the day must consider the alternative of loans and aids from donors. Ghana must learn to reciprocate gestures. The barter system is still happening through the world.

Ghana does not need loans and aids or do we? What we need is the spirit of innovation, and industralisation.

Ghana on the contrary, lacks this ability to be fiesty, the risk and be innovative with that motivation from coming from our Government of the day? . A classic example is that everyone is mobile these days but then what hinders our elderly from attending functions when they become immobile? There are no Ghana made wheel chairs sold at an affordable rate on our markets. There is no purposeful shop for people suffering from any disabilites in Ghana.

Or is there any wheelchairs sold at our market? I’m sure that the answer would be a firm no. Any wheel chairs are all made from abroad. Kokompe street welders could easily establish their own made in Ghana wheel chairs, if the KUST is failing Ghanaians cirizens . Thus , this group of people would gain a meaningful employment in the process. Would this be a new area to exploit perhaps?

Did we not rather invent a fufu pounding machine. Instead? Maybe a kenkey making machine needs to be considered to satisfy the mass in the greater Accra region.

Drip stands used in hospital is another item which is simple and basic, it could easily be welded in Ghana and supplied to hospitals yet we are depending on foreign made goods.

Commodes are mobile toilets manufactured here and used for the bedridden elderly who are unable to walk short distances. This could be manufactured in Ghana to sell to hospitals and the general public.

There are so many incontinence materials that there is no need for people to be incontinent of urine any more except in extreme case.

There are uridoms (Like a condom with a firm grip to connect to the catheter bags), day catheter bags and night catheter bags for men.

Companies in Ghana may seize this opportunity to explore this product because there is a market for it in Ghana and other African countries.

Being incontinent of urine is no excuse to locking oneself from the community. If the male patient applies these appliances no one would know of this problem.

There is a solution to every problems in life hence we need to be innovative and hope the Technology University in Kumasi takes into accounts things that matters in their strategic planning of projects through the all technological colleges and Universities. There is no need to re invent the wheel but copying a product with local materials to meet the consumer demand of the Ghanaian public must be the ethos of the technological establishments.

Made in Ghana jeans, clothing, hats, base ball hats, even hat with mosquito net on the fringes so that a night watch man could use to stop being bitten by the mosquitoes.

I see the real innovators around Kokompe markets, Ashiaman and others. They sell gas stoves, water can, coal pots, and others.

It is amazing when one goes home and explores all these areas looking for what is new and see the low levels of innovation. These group need build in technology as they are not graduate . It sadden me that graduate in Ghana often have the upper hand whilst our Kokompe guys are made to feel inferior. Honestly, I would give the respect to the Kokompe guys who have considered what needs to be done ie the considered the priorities for Ghana and producing excellent products, though primitive, they do the job at hand. Thumbs up for the guys .

I’m sure if given the training, these guys could even build a car and trotro using that same common sense approach to projects. This makes me remember the Africar of 15 years ago – a British invention, but built of wood and a few common metal parts so it could be built and repaired anywhere in Africa on a small scale without expensive factories– the chassis and bodywork was all wood – have a small accident – the local carpenter can fix it! Unfortunately it never took off, although it met all safety standards, but it showed what could be done.

I salute this group of innovators with limited resources. These are our Chief Executives and Saviours of Ghana trade and technology. These are the groups of people the Government may need to target and enhance their skills because they have the enthusiasm and the practical know how.

Our art and craft sectors are equally experts in their field of work but lacks the marketing skills. Is there any way at all the Government could embrace such skills and harness these guys with about 3 months any business course at a certificate level perhaps. Ghana needs all these skills on its road to a real economic recovery back to our stand in the 1960’s.

Mechanics, carpenters and others may all need a brush up in marketing skills to move forward.