They explained that the current state of the country was not only as a result of military intervention but also unavailability of good governance coupled with bad decisions from the civilian heads of states, a phenomenon which has thwarted development efforts over the years.

Should the life of a country be counted like that of a natural human being, the discussants said, Ghana would be retiring this year without achieving anything significant?

This issue about Ghana dominated the discussions on the March 5 edition of the talk show on Joy 99.7 FM, an Accra-based radio station.

Military intervention

A Legal Practitioner, Mr Ace Ankomah, said about four military interventions in the country’s democratic history had slowed down its development over the years.

“All those years of military interventions set us back without an exception. So we have realised that all those periods of seizing power was just a time waste. Just imagine where Ghana would have been now if we had had 60 years of uninterrupted democratic rule,” he said on the show which was hosted by Reverend Albert Ocran.

Given that democracy is the panacea of every country’s development, the astute lawyer explained that a multi-party democracy where one was able to voice out his or her disagreements was much better and even more preferable than a one-party state or military rule.

Mr Ankomah said he believed in a democracy that would allow him speak his mind to contribute to the country’s development, saying a country could only develop through democracy.

“Until we find a better one, one’s ability to speak his or her mind is very important and any system that gives other people the divine right to rule unchallenged is the type that we should not accept. So I believe that having been able to speak my mind to contribute to democracy without having a party card, I should be accepted,” he said.

He urged people who wanted to be in leadership positions to run for elections rather than seize power cowardly through the means of the gun or military intervention.

“Though I believe in strong leadership, I do not think it should come through a military man forcefully seizing power. I believe that once the mandate is given to you through the means of elections, you should take control of that mandate and exercise it fully. We do not need guns for an individual to exercise authority, it can be done through letting the people have confidence in your leadership,” he added.

Bad decisions

The Head of the Salt and Light Ministries, Reverend Joyce Aryee, said the country’s challenges were not only as a result of military interventions but also lack of good governance, as well as bad decisions.

“I will place Ghana at four and half on a scale of one to 10. This is because our development has been truncated in many ways, not only by military interventions but also by bad decisions and bad governance; and this has truncated our development right from the beginning,” she added.

According to Rev. Aryee, our attitude was also partly cultural, in the sense that sometimes an individual would be asked not to be over-ambitious, “but what I think the advice should be is that an ambition which will promote our individual well-being should be encouraged.”

“If for nothing at all, we recognise that using the ballot to change leaders is the way to go, but the challenge is that we have become very polarised through that process and this is not a good thing. I am also proud of the sense of entrepreneurship that young people in the country are exhibiting. This has come as a result of technology. An example is the drive that is pushing the Legacy and Legacy initiative,” she added.

Legacy and Legacy

Lauding the Legacy and Legacy initiative, organisers of the Springboard, Rev. Aryee described it as a baobab tree which had become a big tree under which many were taking their shelter and whose fruit was shaping the lives of others.

The story of the Springboard Roadshow, an annual career and personal development platform in the country, reads like a tale encapsulating the spirit of entrepreneurship, self-determination and commitment.

It is also a narrative that illustrates how a vision which has its roots in Ghana has been transformed over the course of 11 years to empower the next generation of African entrepreneurs and leaders.

To tell and appreciate the initiative of the Springboard Roadshow, it is perhaps important to roll back to 2007 - a time of bleak entrepreneurship fundamentals for much of the continent.

It has singled out a group of people who want to venture into leadership positions to nurture and empower them for the next decade in order to attain their goal.

The Springboard, however, is the brainchild of Rev. Albert and Mrs Comfort Ocran who are international motivational speakers, ministers of the gospel, authors and management consultants.

The concept has evolved into the nation's biggest personal development conference since 2007. The last 10 years has seen over 150,000 individuals in the country being trained in regional events entailing career guidance, one-on-one mentoring, training workshops and presentations from various leaders.

Going forward, Rev. Aryee advised people who wanted to venture into leadership positions to take a good look at the country, its culture, history, human resource, natural resource, and ask themselves whether they were ready to go through the pain of changing things for the better in the interest of all.

“There are some people who want to go into politics because it will give them instant power and fame; but going into politics requires one to be humble to serve and not to be served,” she added.