Blessed Godsbrain Smart has said current conditions and the agricultural trend in the country suggests a looming famine in the next five years.
He says if nothing is done to save enough produce to commensurate demand in the next five years, there will be food shortage in Ghana.
He has therefore proposed each Metropolitan, Municipality and District Assembly to cultivate at least 10 acres of land to sustain the nation’s food security in the next half decade.
He explained that assemblies like the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) that does not have lands suitable for agriculture can secure some in the Eastern region to implement the policy.
Speaking generally about leadership crisis in Africa Monday, May 17, 2021, Captain Smart indicated on the Smart Show on Smart TV that, African leaders have failed to protect the very people they’re supposed to protect, noting that, the volume with which produce are harvested in Ghana has dwindled, clearly indicating the looming danger ahead.
“Let’s use Ghana as an example. I have another solution [to a looming problem]. In the next five years, there will be famine in Ghana. I’m not a prophet of doom but if our leaders don’t change their attitude, we’ll suffer. [Because] the rate at which we harvest plantain, cocoyam, maize and other produce have reduced because our leaders are not thinking.
“If our leaders would think, I’m proposing that the district assemblies must have farms. AMA can enter Eastern region and get lands. Whilst one district plants maize, the other should do plantain and the other, yam. Every assembly must have at least 10 acres of farm. After that we build big silos and store these produce so that we can use them the next five or six years”, he proposed whilst Ghanasonline.com closely monitored.
Still on leadership, he said a leader should posses the ability to respond to his followers and protect them all the time, with a cue from a gobbler in a rafter.
“If you’re a leader and cannot respond to your name, then you’re a bad leader. A good leader should be able to have a voice but they [African leaders] don’t. They’re waiting upon the faces of Malaysia, Singapore, France and other countries.
“The male leader (gobbler) in a group of turkeys (rafter) stops all incoming vehicles when they’re crossing a road, to allow the little and weak ones to pass before it leaves. Instead of our leaders to learn from this bird, we only enjoy it as turkey (meat). A leader is supposed to protect its people. Leadership is a responsibility not to eat. Check the stomach of all the African IGPs and you’ll realise they’re just there to eat and can’t make any arrests. That’s why thieves always disturb people in town,” he chastised.
He also berated the Immigration office at the Elubo border which is in a deplorable state, leaving the officers to sit under a hut. “One day they were under the palm frond hut and a snake fell on one lady officer. If our leaders think, would this be a place where those manning our borders would live? During Independence celebrations, you rent uniforms for them to match and take salute from them and after that, they go and live at such deplorable places.”
He averred “I’m not asking for change in leaders but change in style of leadership to benefit Africans. Africa means (Y’afri ɛka mu) ‘out of debt’ but we are indebted than any continent in the world. Our leaders have refused to think.”
“No one is saying you haven’t done anything but there are places that since Ghana gained independence, they’ve never seen tarred roads before and [parts] of Tantra Hills in just Accra here is an example. Go to Assin Amoabin and its environs in the Assin South district and their roads have never been tarred.”