Open letter to President of Ghana: Lessons from Senegal by Kwame Yeboah.

I can see the leadership of Senegal has a planned development agenda which I commend.

In 2007, I traveled to Dakar, Senegal for a workshop in Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and Ethics in Human Research by Africa Malaria Network Trust (AMANET). The program was held in Al Afifa, one of the 5-star hotels at that time. As the first international travel I was making, my eyes were widely opened more than those of eagles to see. I was doing just as the adage has always been “travel and see”.

Using Air Cote d’Ivoire, I was routed through the Houphouet Boaigne Airport where for the first time I disembarked and embarked my connecting flight using an aerobridge. Like the blind man who received his healing, all I knew was that I saw no tarmac but just the vessel through immigration processes and vice versa.

That I did not see when I landed in Dakar. I was not impressed at all. I was proud to have come from Kotoka International Airport. In my view, filth was engulfing the national airport.

As if they read my mind even as a first-time traveler at that time, my recent travel 10 years after the initial one shocked me to the bones. The shock came because of what I was not expecting to see. Within the period, I got the opportunity to travel through other airports and countries and had in mind the picture of the airport I saw in 2007 in Dakar.

When we landed, I was telling someone that, the renovation has been massive coupled with the new name for the airport. It was at this point that I was educated to know that Blaise Daigne Airport was newly built. The airport was started in 2007 and opened for use in December 2017. Unlike in Ghana where I am a citizen, I did not need to fill any immigration form but successfully had my documents checked by the immigration officers. Everything was electronic and made the processes faster and easier.

I have heard several times of the Prampram project to get us a new airport. Apart from what the news gives, one senior Professor equally mentioned that the project was earmarked in 1967 but the usual procrastination and lack of political will for development have affected the dream. I wish Mr. President could take the bull by the horn to start such a big program for development rather than the nation priding itself with the extension of existing airport terminals.

As if the shock I had was not enough, we got out of the airport and I trembled. We traveled on about a 40Km dual carriage first-class road to my hotel. The same road network was used the next day when I was going to the conference center. The connection between Saly to Dianmido then Dakar was mainly dual carriage making provision for even vehicles that might spoil and need engineering attention. I was happy to see the road toll facility mainly electronic without human presence to be tempted to use “foot-soldiers”. That on its own is known to minimize corruption because everything is cashless. The joy was the fact that a similar system is what I have seen in the University of Ghana for security checks and for it to be deployed on such a large scale was commendable. Having it on some aspects of the Tema Motorway is not enough in my view. We can do better as a nation.

Mr. President, the main reason for writing this piece was to draw your attention and add my voice to the call for the national development agenda. Establishing and pursuing a clear developmental plan as a legacy for all to follow. If they do not lose sight of their focus, Senegal in the next 5 years if not less, will be a place all would desire to visit.

In the region in Senegal, Dianmido, where the malaria conference was held and also with the new airport, I saw a new stadium under construction, a lot of signages indicating big companies building their complexes in the new city.

It was a sight to behold and urge my leaders to emulate for our match forward.

Signed:

Kwame Yeboah DAG

You can watch the video below;