TRO-TRO DIARIES PART 3(b): ON ASSIGNMENT – MEETING WITH SANDER

Sander then proceeded to give me some background on SOVEC and why they are operating in Ghana – they could have stayed in Holland or gone elsewhere in Africa with their money, but they chose Ghana because it has a stable political system, an enabling business environment and also because of the presence of a young, yet professional VC infrastructure, providing the right caliber of investment partners they require. He also told me a bit about the investment portfolio of SOVEC in Ghana, particularly their support for the “Private Schools for the Poor” project by Omega Schools which is an innovative idea that seeks to provide high quality education to the poor by bringing such communities on board and giving them an incentive to ensure the schools are self sustainable. And then we launched into the vast entrepreneurial opportunities available in Ghana. 

Sander was particularly interested in discussing my personal entrepreneurial ventures. In fact once I put it out there that I was an up and coming entrepreneur we naturally fell into a deep conversation about my business interests especially in Oilfield Services, which is my day job by the way. I stressed on the fact that I felt it my duty to share my practical experiences as I navigate the entrepreneurial world with others, so as to inspire, encourage and motivate. He commended my meager efforts, and suggested that all groups such as BMIC should collaborate under one umbrella rather than operate as splinter cells going after the same objectives. I assured him that our partnership with Harambe Ghana is just such a co-operative effort and with TEDxHarambe we are marking the beginning of a long and fruitful working relationship; and there is always room for more on board because as a united front, youth-oriented NGOs in Ghana will be able to achieve similar goals quicker and more effectively.

The Dutch venture capitalist was rather insightful so I volunteered information freely knowing it may yield dividends later on. He was very plain spoken about his definition of social entrepreneurship, “being that [he] does not primarily go for profit alone, but that [he is] convinced that it should be a mix of financial (profit incentive) and social things (value creation) to make venture capital investments sustainable. It cannot (and should not) be simply either one.” He was adamant that social entrepreneurship should not be labeled as simply granting money on the basis of pure altruism, or pure profit-making but rather a balanced dance of both; they were not mutually exclusive goals but could become a harmonious model for incentivizing the rapid development of Africa through win-win investor partnerships. And I agree wholeheartedly with him on this one folks, it is not simply possible but prudent to be a businessman with a heart and a conscience in the 21^st century; it is perhaps the only sustainable way forward. 

He also gave me another view as to his personal belief that the present model for AID to Africa is deeply flawed, referring to Dambisa Moyo’s book, Dead Aid. Rather he proposed an interesting theory; that there should not be a difference between a good entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur. To him the word ‘social’ is sometimes not appropriate in description because it doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground, which is that the present state of blind philanthropy is not just failing, but acerbating the various issues they seek to solve in the first place. That is the old way of doing things. Though I certainly feel blind philanthropy has its place in the development of Africa owing to how far behind we still are, I also felt his stance was just the kind of edgy and fresh thought that was needed to compel people sit up and take notice that the old way of doing things is simply not enough. We agreed that he should run with his idea and deliver his presentation along these lines.

So finally, Mr. Sander Smits van Oyen broke into a warm smile offered his hand and said, “Okay you have me.” I heaved a silent but heavy sigh of relief, chugged down the rest of up my pineapple juice, smiled broadly, shook his hand, grabbed my Targus book bag and returned to the confused din of night traffic and Spintex. The Tro-tro ride back home that day was not so bad; truly it would not have made any difference if I were in a tram, a train or a Double Decker bus: Okay, save the noise, the jolts and that creeping feeling that the machine is about to break up any second away.

Now things are looking good; not only is Sander speaking at the event, he may be, co-incidentally, bringing along his investors to visit TEDxHarambe with him........Bit by bit, we are doing it!

TROTRO DIARIES PART 2: MR. P. GRAMMAR THESAURUS

So where were we? Yes, yes, I remember! Derek is somewhere in the former marsh and Olivia – the President of Harambe Cameroon, my virtual twin and a member of the TEDxHarambe organizing team – joined him and their Harambe Endeavor colleagues to hobnob with the chic politicos of Yankee – Cheese! All this was in commemoration of almost half of the Dark Continent celebrating 50 years of independence and uniform mismanagement. Honestly, I am neither a cynic nor a Pollyanna because I like to think I’m stuck squarely in between. Well, saying that would be slightly duplicitous because it will demand a concerted effort not to be cheerfully beaming in a 5 Series. In the same vein, it will be an onerous task not to be disconsolate, stuck in traffic – in a Tro-Tro – resigned to the sun-drenched African noon, with absolutely no hope of precipitation and in the certain knowledge that the ineluctable sultriness is inexorably dissipating the last few whiffs of an already dwindling supply of Armani Extreme. I used to detest people that put on too much cologne before they went gallivanting, but after forty-eight contiguous months in this sweltering tropical mugginess (now tell me this tautology is NOT permissible), I am gunning through eau de toilettes with the panache of the leader of the peloton on the home stretch of the Tour de France; not forgetting all associated sweat and drama. That is not to say that you cannot be ebullient in a Tro-tro or morose in a Murcielago...hmmm...now that was a very vague attempt at assonance and not to be considered a remote possibility, not even Jeremy Clarkson can frown in the belly of the raging bull.

What do you think of BMIC's New Logo? Please comment below.

The point I am making is this, positivism and pessimism feed of each other in order to create a realistic view. In other words, “optimism is the force behind a realist’s cautious cynicism.” So it is with an enthusiastic but pragmatic approach that we are implementing TEDxHarambe: we are leaving no stone unturned; no sail unfurled; and no holds barred for all the chips are on the table now. Fortunately, between the services provided by Google Inc, Vodafone Broadband and Skype Limited, communication is VOIP and collaboration is via attachment and virtually free; I reiterate again, the power of IT! But through all this I digress slightly, my first real assignment as a member of the TEDxHarambe Team was to meet with a Dutch venture capitalist called Sander Smits van Oyen and confirm him as a speaker for the event. A few emails and phone calls later (non-VOIP), Sander and I set up an appointment to meet at Shangri-La in the late afternoon. This was incredibly fortuitous because I also had an oily early morning meeting at Shangri La that same day. In retrospect, that morning, my father saved me from the ‘joys’ of a Trosky trip in the early morning which is identical to a Tro-tro ride in the afternoon save for the oppressive heat or one in the evening; when all the rattling and jolting fuses with a day’s worth of fatigue into the most intense feeling of...of...utter despondency. Again I deviate, Mr. Ampofo Snr. treated me to an unending but somehow pleasant cacophony of intense business calls all the way through the idiosyncratic traffic of Spintex Road till he dropped me off. Indeed, we had about 25 seconds of ‘intimate’ conversation which literally went, “Busy morning?” to which I was replied, “Hmmm, it never ends you know”, then he was back to the intermittent tintinnabulation and wheeler-dealing; my patriarch is as bona fide an astute business man as they come.

As at 9:30am that day, I was deeply engrossed in negotiations with some oily gentlemen who were trying to convince me to part with thousands of dollars they did not know I did not have; and fast track negotiations on an ongoing Joint Venture. My business partner’s attorney, having come fashionably late, was now trying to bill me for his client’s expenses. I was just sitting there contemplating how my own legal consultants are racking up some hefty fees under our current tenuous pseudo pro-bono disposition: on account of waning paternal inducements; patrilineally inherited intelligence; maternally acquired gregariousness; and a proclivity for manipulative suasion using any and all means necessary. Now I am wandering again but it serves to illustrate how indignant I had become after this first meeting, dealing with two men old enough to be my father yet selling me a deal with so many encumbrances that I was almost ready to give up that business idea on the spot, and go relax at the beach. I did go to the beach, but I refrained from doing the former, I refrained from letting my tempestuous nature sour the grapes as it were. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon relaxing with friends at the beach, dreaming, laughing and planning. I had been prepping for my next meeting with Sander for a while so I felt adequately prepared because it seemed to me a pretty simple and straightforward affair. Well it turned out to be anything but simple and straightforward.......

To Be Continued, Cheers!

Please Tune in Next Week for the next blurb in the series. I will try to proceed without my trusty friend: Mr. Punctilious G. Thesaurus :)

Mr. P. G. Thesaurus himself

EYE-REDISM: The Movement of Pure Tenacity.........An Essential Element of Success

I have observed that I am part of a new conscious movement of mostly young people; an ultramodern counter-culture right here in Africa that is rejecting the status-quo of poverty and subservience and is claiming a new heritage of wealth and success for themselves no matter the cost involved - This is "EYE-REDISM". In Pidgin English "ma Eye Red" simply means 'I am extremely determined'. This is a movement where simply, "Wena Eye Red" - we are extremely determined to succeed no matter what! Personally, I live, breath, believe and practice Eye-Redism to a large extent; and I am beginning to see similar "Eye-Red Tins" all around me. To be honest there is a kind of risqué, devil-may-care element to being Eye-Red in the Ghanaian sense of the phrase - on the face of it Eye-Redism even has several negative connotations: aggression, materialism, greed and self-centeredness. This is because the Eye-Redist believes that the end fully justifies the means and will consequently do all it takes to achieve the required end. However, the way I see it, being Eye-Red is an essential element of every approach to success because at the core of this philosophy is Dogged Determination; the refusal to capitulate to obvious disadvantages and the will to use whatever means necessary to rise above prevailing circumstances and succeed. I do not sanction Eye-Redism as the only way to succeed, but inculcating some aspect of this attitude into your psyche is essential to succeeding in your ambitions; i.e. if you have ANY - it can be harnessed positively as the essential fuel behind your personal drive and ambition.

From University Graduates to 'Trog Pushers'; breakthrough Hip-Life artistes like Sarkodie to 'Sakawa' Boys; 'Burghers' to 'Wild Guys' with 'Locally Acquired Foreign Accents'; Legit Young Business Men to Juvenile Drug Mules; struggling 'Kayaye' to murderous Armed Robbers; political SRC presidents to apathetic Weed Smokers; Decent 'Chriffe' girls to Immoral 'Shodies' on the prowl for 'Sugar Daddies', there is a sweeping current of urgency and determination in our quest to thrive in 21st Century Ghana and beyond. The youthful masses are converging around the battlecry of "Ma Eye Red oh" and fighting against a system that does not provide adequate jobs and opportunities for self-actualization. However not everybody is Eye-Red, perhaps because not everybody can be. Some people intrinsically have little or no ambition because they are truly content with their lot or they do not know any better. But most others are just plain lazy and do not work to constantly improve themselves and their situation even though they desire better lives - to me they are prosaic and never achieve anything of note. They are born, they live and they die unremarkable lives; their dreams end up a shattered shambles of regret and guilt. That is my greatest fear for my generation; my fear that most of us will end up as a bunch mediocre individuals in the future that are struggling to eke out a living for ourselves and our families because the world is rapidly becoming a more difficult and expensive place to just survive; much less enjoy a luxurious existence. I feel that as a whole the immediate past generation [of Ghanaians] was rather unremarkable; but we can escape their fate and rise up to or even surpass the standard of Nkrumah's liberating generation that gained independence through determination in the face of insurmountable odds - Nkrumah and his ilk would be the epitome of Eye-Redism had they been living in these times.

Being Eye-Red echoes a concept that I came across in my research into martial pursuits - that of 'Deadly Persistence Attack' - the idea that if you persist in attacking a particular force without relenting they will eventually capitulate. That is how I approach problems and obstacles; without hesitation, procrastination or fear, I just delve in and take the bull by the horn, attacking persistently with a single-mindedness that cannot admit defeat and will do the necessary work and make the required sacrifices - and my work speaks for itself. That said I was not always like this; I was just a normal kid who was messing up his life until I realized I had to grow up and face up to my responsibilities in the light of modern realities. I have dreams - BIG DREAMS - and I realized back then that if I was to have any hope of achieving them I needed to stop mucking about and focus on the work to be done as early as possible. I needed to embrace pure tenacity and an unwillingness to compromise on anything less than the ultimate goal; success and legitimate wealth. It is necessary to note that the precepts of Eye-Redism can be applied quite successfully to criminality but to me it is not worth it. Why take this needless risk when I can wait just a bit longer and work just a bit harder for much greater rewards that I can enjoy freely with no labels, harassment or consequences instead of copping out and taking the easier route of crime? I know I am not the only one with this mindset; I am just one cog in the wheel of a Massive Movement. I know people all over who are even more Eye-Red than me; youths like Olleur on his upcoming Debut Album; M.Diawuo in CA of UnitedIcons; my Peer Group of Business Partners; The Brothers at M.I.G; and the esteemed members of BMIC's Executive Committee who are amongst the most Eye-Red people I've ever had the honour of rubbing shoulders with. As for me and most of the people I deal with, "WENA EYE RED FOKEN!": Just how red are yours?

The Art of War; Fighting for Success and Achievement.......ON 'THE SYSTEM'

When I turned 14, I received one of the greatest gifts ever from my father, a small book called The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. At the time I was only slightly intrigued but now, this book is second only to my Bible because it revolves around the timeless teachings of Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher and acclaimed war general. It is such a good read that I can honestly say I have read it more than 20 times, and I refer to it all the time; I'm still working on memorizing it word for word, that's how good the book is. Sun Tzu was one of the most respected experts on war in ancient times and even after 2500 years his teachings are treasured by modern generals (its a required read for generals in the US army), Fortune 500 CEO's, jet-setting business executives, politicians and career diplomats the world over. In fact The Art of War is primarily responsible for several remarkably successful war campaigns from antiquity to modern times. It was applied by Emperor Wu to unify all of China; by the fearsome Mongolian Hordes as they swept all over Asia and Europe unchallenged; to the victories of Napoleon Bonaparte in Europe (he subsequently lost against the Russians only when he broke with the precepts of he book); to the victorious campaign of General Mao Zedong. In fact it even accounts for the rapid resurgence of the Japanese economy after WWII because it was a mainstay of study for most samurai families; and I'm truly seeing Sun Tzu's teachings being applied flawlessly by the Chinese in their quest for World Economic dominance, already at number 3 and slated to become number 1 by 2020. Personally, I ignored this book for most of the time I possessed it, reading it only as a great book to pick sayings and simple tricks from. But once I decided to apply it rigorously and appropriately I begun to see amazing results in every aspect of my life and even in business; I don't smoke anymore, I exercise religiously, I own my own company, I am a director of 3 more, and I even took the initiative and formed BMIC (Truth is these firms are not yet yielding substantial profits.....for now!). In fact for a time I even applied the teachings to chasing women, and OH my success rate was incredible......Abi U For Kno! I am glad I begun paying rapt attention 6 years after receiving it and I now know how truly great a gift my dad gave me then.

The teachings of Sun Tzu go way above and beyond warfare; I actually have another version called The Art of War for Executives (actually stole this copy from my dad; and he's not happy) and it basically re-translates everything from army lingo into business sense. I would advise both versions to anybody that wants to succeed in competitive situations in this world from business to sports, religion to personal health, The Art of War applies. One of the greatest teachings of this book is this, "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." Imagine, in a book exhorting the best strategies and tips to wage and win war, it gives the highest marks to winning without fighting. When I first read this I didn't quite understand its true meaning, but as time went on I realized what Sun Tzu was trying to say, especially in terms of succeeding in business - Never fight your enemy directly as much as possible; refuse to go along with your enemy's plans rather let your enemy go according to yours, delay, frustrate, irritate but never attack; be patient and wait for the perfect moment, and then strick so decisively that your enemy succumbs against your onslaught without retaliation.

What does this mean for the discerning business man or woman? I mean gone are the days of Genghis Khan, General Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte and Mao Zedong. In the world of small business and big business, entrepreneurial and carrier-oriented approaches to making a living, who is the Enemy - who is my enemy, who is your enemy in business? The Enemy is The SYSTEM.....Yes......The Socio-Economic and Political framework that we all find ourselves in; the World economic 'matrix' that ranks you according to your race, age, gender, family, educational level and soon to come your genetic makeup. Your present situation, your inability to fully realize your dreams, your inability to get all the things you need and want, your undue dependencies and your insecurities are all part of the System - and that is Our Enemy. To prevent sounding unduly anarchic I must clarify one point here: the System is the Enemy of Ambitious people ONLY. If you are content with your present state of being as well as your social and economic status then The System is not your enemy but rather your best friend; I hope.

Now then, why would I make such a statement, accusing something quite so abstract as "The Enemy" in the Fight for Prosperity? The reason is rather simple; The System tells us what we can and cannot do when in fact there is nothing we cannot do if we set our minds to it. Our parents, our siblings, our families, our friends, our teachers, our acquaintances, we ourselves are all part of this intricate System; it stratifies every one of us into an arbitrary hierarchy of power and privilege; sets equally arbitrary boundaries and limits for each individual and then rigorously enforces these whims for most of us. The System polices us and ensures: that the rich stay rich and the poor remain so; that a farmer's son is most likely to farm instead of acquiring a University degree; that most women will strive and work just as hard as men but will not get the respect and treatment they truly deserve in the workplace; that Africa will always remain a poor supplier to the developed world; that 80% of business start-ups fail; that most Ghanaian youths should go slave for peanuts abroad and this same System also says it is impossible for me, a mere 22 year old to make my 'drop dead' million in the oil industry by the end of 2010; yes that System is my enemy....and if your are as ambitious as I am then its your enemy too.

Wow.....this kid is truly insane......a million......fight the System.......How do I fight the System that spawned me, nurtured me and provides for me? This was my exact thought pattern when I begun making these realizations even before I got into business, back when I was just a normal kid who liked partying and fooling about. In fact I became so depressed when I realized a version of the system was my enemy that I gave up on my ambitions, a pretty sweet lifestyle, some amazing opportunities in the US and decided to come back home to Ghana where the system was easier and more forgiving.....and indeed it has been exactly so......Until I decided to fight the System when I recovered my ambitions again and realized that the System Here (In Africa) is even more rigid and resistant than abroad. But I am truly glad I am fighting now, to me its a personal battle and I do not encourage you to join in this fight unless you are truly prepared to work, sacrifice and become extremely self-disciplined all in the hopes of enjoying greater rewards later on. In fact a lot of people don't realize that the reason why religion makes so much sense is simply because it echoes practical realities but packages them in an appealing, stimulating and motivating format. So back to the question at hand: How does one go about fighting The System? How does one even defeat This System? If you have been avidly reading this article things must be making a little bit of sense now; you must see why The Art of War is so important to me and should be to you too.

One of the teachings of The Art of War is this, "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near." Deceive the system by figuring the system out and then fit in perfectly and abide by its rules. Remember don't try to fight the system openly as much as possible, fight the system covertly (internally); work harder, study harder, sacrifice the fun for now, refuse the opiates and enticements the system throws at you to slow you down. Be Disciplined, Be Determined and Be Dynamic and you will not only succeed in waging war on the system but you will defeat it. Sun Tzu also says in the book, "Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose." This essentially means that if you want to defeat the System; and not be bound by what it says you can and cannot do and achieve you have to plan better than the system, work harder than the system and be better than the System!! You can't just sit there and hope the System will capitulate and some lucky break will fall on your lap right when you need it; operate on the basis that Luck and Chance will meet your Preparation and Work and surely you will succeed. One cannot hope to achieve greatness by being average or merely above average, one must be exceptional indeed. "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Why am I so confident and optimistic; why am I so assured of success; WHY? These are valid questions especially when I haven't achieved anything; when for all my encouragements and admonishments I am a Junior Brokeman just like you - why should I advise people I am more or less the same as - sometimes criticisms like these are not just valid but warranted. The answer to this question is simple; regardless of what you think I am not doing this for you as much as I am doing it for myself ! Why should I stop what I am doing knowing the potential benefits that will be accrued from this venture later on? Why must Sarcasm douse the Fire of Optimism. Alas, for many of us we will succumb to The System because this War is just too much work, too much sacrifice, too much required therefore if it is not a fight you cannot wage then give up and be content with whatever comes your way; try to make yourself happy on what The System says you should be happy on. As for me, I cannot be content, I REFUSE to be content with Mediocrity......I will continue to Fight on......Alone if necessary.......For "The art of war is of vital importance.....A matter of life and death, a road to safety or ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.....In times of war prepare for peace and in times of peace prepare for war."

Ghana's 21 Hours of Fame.......The Aftermath!!?

OBAMA CAME TO GHANA!......Now that he's gone back 'home', the mania, the glitz and the glamour have died down and practical realities are setting in. The question I have for myself and everybody else is this; how have we benefited from his 21 hours here and how will our lives change for the better now that his entourage is gone? What tangible gains have we made as individuals, as a country and as a continent?.....I've realized that Barack H. Obama summed the ultimate point of the speech himself, "We must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans." So did this guy travel all the way from Washington to Accra via Moscow and L'Aquila to spend 21 hours here only to tell us a lot of things that are self-evident? Why would such a busy man, in fact the most powerful man on the face of the earth take such a humbling trip to a little known country in Africa which has little significance on the global socio-political kaleidoscope; WHY?.....Why not a bigger African country; why not a more developed African country; why did he choose the most boring place in the whole of Africa? No wars here; we have pliable roads, electricity, Mobile Internet and ATM's; many lovely hotels and its hot and rainy this time of year; in fact we are so boring that we rarely (if ever) appear on CNN or BBC!.....Why not Kenya, or Senegal which is much like Ghana in many respects? I mean, to be honest and fair, Ghana is neither the best, the richest, the most developed or even the most peaceful African country.....I mean Botswana is a fair example of another consistently democratic African nation......talk about South Africa, or Guinea or Nigeria (Ok....ok.....but its not such a bad place you know). I'm just trying to figure out all the other reasons for his choice apart from the obvious because the obvious reason has been bandied about for a while now but does not adequately address the whole picture.

I personally think Obama coming to Ghana was as much a personal trip as it was a political statement. He is a very astute and talented politician and his choice of a very small but quintessentially African 'success story' (by the relatively low African standards) for his first trip to sub-saharan Africa as the sitting president gives him and the US a great opportunity to kill many birds with one stone - commend Ghana, and vilify the so called miscreat nations; to affirm his own African roots and concurrently show Africans that he will not simply throw money at us simply because he is one of us; his trip also highlighted how truly safe and sound Ghana is especially in terms of its ripeness as a tourist destination (refer to I SPY....00.What is there to spy on in Ghana) which I think this was an intended consequence as well; but ultimately (and obviously) Obama's trip was to reward Ghana and Ghanaians for our commitment to democracy seeing as how we appear to be an island in a sea of poverty, tyranny and oppression.....right? Pardon my slight sarcasm here but it is important to realize that we still have such a huge amount of WORK to be done so we shouldn't be patting each other on our shoulders yet......we should rather saddle up for the tough times and painful choices ahead.

Another significant statement President Obama said was, "Above all, it will be the young people - brimming with talent and energy and hope - who can claim the future that so many in my father’s generation never found." This was after he had recognized the role of the members of parliament and the people they represent as the real purveyors of change; but he emphasized the role of the youth as the most pivotal in this century if Ghana and Africa as a whole is to rise out of perpetual poverty and over-dependence on inadequate Aid and Financial Support from the West. Essentially you don't have to be Nkrumah to effect positive change as well as succeed greatly in this life; you can just be yourself and hone your talents, use your energies wisely and never loose hope; if you are willing to make the necessary sacrifices and do the necessary work success is always inevitable. The main ingredient has already been provided by our politicians over the past 16 years - an imperfect but working democracy that supports the will of the people. We live in a country where anybody can laugh at the president's 'Ecominic' blunders, disrespect and disregard serious efforts by former regimes, where no corrupt official is safe from the media, where anybody can say and do as they like without fear of persecution and we take all this for granted. Consider China where even Facebook and Google are closely monitored and filtered, and insulting the political regime will subject one to severe harassment and persecution - overtly and covertly. It would be impossible for me to do this blog and state my true personal views if I were living in North Korea, nor would I hope to survive long if I were a Zimbabwean making fun of Mugabe's political mistakes and verbal blunders. Why concentrate on criticizing the bad when we can focus on utilizing the good and changing things for the better. We have here a peaceful, culturally rich and diverse, gradually improving socio-economic system that has reputable and working institutions (Obama congratulated these institutions even though they are inefficient for a reason; they work) as a basis upon which we can lay the foundation for our future success and wealth; the earlier you start building your house, the more resources you put into it and the better your plan the earlier your beautiful home is completed, the better it will look and the longer it will stand.

All throughout Obama's speech, I observed that whenever the camera's panned to the audience all one could see were 'old' people, the Giants of Ghana; the big people, the accomplished people.....The Dinosaurs......what a contrast to similar speeches he gave in Egypt at Cairo University and even more recently at the New Economic School, Moscow, Russia where he spoke primarily to students and the youth: their nations' future leaders - making similar profound policy statements to the Arab world and the Slavic nation - as well as dealing directly with the incumbent leaders.......I'm not saying that him speaking to the Giants of Ghana is wrong; it just appears as a stark contrast to what happened elsewhere, especially in the US where he toured the countries Universities and gave numerous campaign speeches. Discernibly with all the clapping and according murmurs there was a certain undercurrent of hypocrisy that wafted through the hall, for Some (but not all) of these same Giants are part of the very problems that Obama's speech sought to highlight and address; perpetuating corruption, inefficient bureaucracy, enriching themselves at the expense of the people they represent, begging for help when they mismanage things instead of doing their job well in the first place.....Some of these Giants are the problem but we are the solution because in time we shall also be giants like them. It is my hope that when that time comes we will be an even wealthier, stronger, more peaceful and democratic country.......but for that hope to become a reality the WORK starts NOW.

My challenge to myself and any youth reading this is simple; how do we claim the future that our forebears never found and are still struggling to find? Claiming our future would definitely involve honing and polishing our skills and talents for being young is like being a freshly discovered, unpolished, uncut and rough diamond; and growing up is the painful and difficult process of shaping that diamond into a glittering and beautifully cut stone that shines brilliantly always. This is a very difficult process to implement well especially here in Ghana and Africa in general where opportunities are easier to exploit and utilized by those with political and economic connections - but why loose hope when the whole world lies at our feet and opportunities abound and beckon - why loose hope when it is very possible and success is staring you right in the face......it is folks so don't blame blindness when Mr. Opportunity passes you by.......we can all create a better future for ourselves....Yes We Can.....YES WE CAN!!!