By: Agbai Eke Agbai PhD,
President Mahama New Ghana:
“To build a society where merit, pragmatism and honesty ( MPH) abound and progress is etched into the soul of governance.”*
The Republic of Ghana journey toward renewal is rooted in the unyielding pragmatism that propelled Singapore from resource-poor island to global powerhouse. As your president “I embrace this ethos with clarity: **our nation’s revival demands disciplined vision, not political theatrics**.
Our history—from the ingenuity of the Jerry Rawlings inspired Pan Africanism to the resilience of post-bad administration reconstruction—proves our capacity for greatness. Today, with a GDP of about $76.37 billion USD and 35 million citizens, we stand at a crossroads.
Crude oil, while newly found but was badly managed such that investors showed no interest during last administration attempt to develop the oil sector nor can we tolerate systemic corruption where transparency and accountability have been compromised and thrown out of the window of governance while youth unemployment nears 45%.
The New Ghana Plan is my covenant to dismantle these barriers, guided by Singapore’s timeless lessons: *pragmatism, integrity, and foresight*.
**First, economic transformation must be engineered, not hoped for**. We will recalibrate Ghana’s oil wealth through Temasek-style public-private ventures, unlocking value from our many marginal fields while reinvesting profits into infrastructure and SMEs.
All the industrial Regions in Ghana’s heartbeat, will ascend as Ghana’s Jurong Island—a Special Economic Zone where tax incentives, reliable power, and streamlined regulations empower manufacturers.
Agriculture, contributing 24% of GDP, will shift from subsistence to precision: agro-processing hubs will link smallholder farmers to global markets, mirroring Singapore’s Agri-Food Innovation Park.
To those who doubt, I say: watch how a leader with intentionality, purpose and deliberateness transforms dreams into reality.
Ghana will become the World benchmark for foreign direct investments again and economic prosperity and tourism. Ghana will become African new frontier-the last bus stop of foreign investment destination in Africa.
**Second, governance must be a temple of transparency**. My administration will institutionalize Singapore’s zero-tolerance anti-corruption framework, empowering an independent body akin to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
The *Citizen’s Gate* digital portal will expand, ensuring every land title, tax payment, and permit request is tracked publicly—no more “ghost workers” draining billions of cedis monthly from our coffers.
To political adversaries alleging suppression, I extend dialogue: critique is welcome, but obstructionism that harms our poor citizens will be met with the full force of law. Our mission is sacred, not partisan.
**Third, urban chaos must yield to intelligent design**. Within a short period from now IoT sensors will monitor waste flows across our regions, directing daily truckloads to recycling plants and waste-to-energy facilities, not landfills.
Our Rivers, now polluted arteries of decay, will be restored as green corridors—spaces where families gather and floods are tamed, much like Singapore’s Marina Reservoir.
Affordable housing projects, designed with private developers, will prioritize low-income families, ensuring growth does not displace the vulnerable.
**Fourth, human capital is our ultimate resource**. Our administration hopes to launch public-private sector funded skills a vocational initiative modeled on Singapore’s SkillsFuture, to equip over 500,000 youths with robotics, renewable energy, and textile engineering expertise.
Scholarships for STEM studies, funded by interested partners of government will nurture innovators who solve local challenges—from modular healthcare clinics to drought-resistant crops.
In healthcare, we will adopt Singapore’s hub-and-spoke hospital model, ensuring no mother in local areas travels more than 10 kilometers to save her child’s life.
My leadership will be judged not by political longevity but by institutional legacies. I will appoint technocrats, not cronies, to key roles.
I will retire peacefully after my tenure, but not before embedding systems that outlive my administration. And I will never waver in defending your right to thrive—whether as a trader at Mokola Market or a techpreneur in Tamela region budding innovation district.
Let skeptics recall Singapore’s metamorphosis: in 1965, few believed a nation without fresh water or arable land could survive.
Today, it ranks among the world’s wealthiest. Ghana now endowed with oil, arable land, and the industrious black star spirit, has no excuse for mediocrity. As Lee Kuan Yew declared, *“A nation is great not by its size, but by the quality of its people and leaders.”* Together, we will prove that quality in Ghana.
*except from my conversation with President John Mahama*
Agbai Eke Agbai PhD,
Global Analyst writes from Dallas,
Texas, USA.
