Sir Sam Jonah says Ghana’s economic progress will remain undermined so long as the nation depends on foreign imports, even for the most basic goods.
“Go to a state dinner,” he said in an interview with Bola Ray monitored by MyNewsGh.
“Everything on that table, your seats, your tissue paper, your toothpick, everything is imported. And we are not ashamed of it.”
He expressed deep concern over Ghana’s heavy reliance on foreign-produced food, despite vast natural conditions suitable for self-sufficiency.
“A country that loves tilapia, more than 60% of our tilapia is imported from China and the U.S.,” he pointed out. “A significant part of our chicken is imported from Holland and the U.S. It must worry all of us.”
Jonah said a country with decades of independence should not still be importing virtually all consumer essentials, especially food.
He believes government has the duty to set the tone for economic self-reliance, referencing Singapore and South Korea as examples of leadership-driven national transformation.
“Leadership sets the vision and creates the environment,” he said. “If you create a conducive environment, our people will excel, we are incredibly well-endowed with talent.”
