The journey of the entrepreneur is a written advice to
enlighten Ghanaians, especially the youth, on the entrepreneurship journey which
they have to take in this 21st century. Many Ghanaians think that, they still have to
write application letters for employment or be employed in an institution or
corporation, say a government work, before they can earn a living. This article is
to emphasize the fact that, the theory which worked in the industrial age
cannot work in the information or entrepreneurship age. The world is
experiencing a sharp and great revolution
which has been seen and is being well
prepared for by most great and developed nations. China for instance is
dominating the world of business, because of her awareness and understanding of
the revolution. This revolution has to be well communicated to the world for its
full and effective utilization in order to enhance economic growth and
development. However, a country where most of its citizens still depend on the government
for survival will not be able to stand this revolution, it might be rather
swept away or completely paralyzed economically. Many professors and business
gurus have shared their thoughts on this revolution and I am endeared to add my
voice.
Entrepreneurial advocators have been hammering their thought
that, entrepreneurship education should and must be encouraged , esteemed and
added to the Ghanaian educational curriculum from the basic school level
through to the tertiary level, so that it flows in the Ghanaian blood and becomes
a lifestyle for Ghanaians. It is an irrefutable
error to use few weeks or days to train a person as an entrepreneur,
that person, I think is undoubtedly a half baked entrepreneur, regardless whose
signature endorses his or her certificate. Why do I say this, I am being
propelled by most Ghanaian’s shallow
understanding of entrepreneurship, which they have limited to only buying and
selling of goods and services rather than building a true business either in
the field of manufacturing or processing or a bigger entrepreneurial
ideological manifestations.
The government of Ghana, in recent years, has issued policies to encourage and push the idea of entrepreneurship to the people of Ghana, however, there is nothing to write home about regarding
its understanding to especially the youth . This article is to empathically reveal
that a thorough education and awareness
of this revolution be created and championed in order to position it well
in the minds of the youth. Most of the youth still think and believe in the
archaic mentality that the government holds a full responsibility of their
employment after their tertiary education. I just want to imprint it in the minds
of my fellow youths to understand that, they can take what’s in their minds,
their intellect, strength and abilities and turn it into cash flow”. Colonel
sanders was in debt after spending all his life in the corporate world and had
to die poor at the age of 66 years but he took what’s in his head, an idea, and
started KFC ( Kentucky fried chicken) and it brought a lot of fortune to him.
Today KFC is everywhere in the world. A lot of people are enjoying the bold
step he made but what can be said of us now is the fear to make a step for
others to benefit.
I believe there are two ways to look at a blank sheet of paper. The
first way is that the blank sheet is the most frightening thing in the world
because you have to put down the first mark and figure out what to do with it.
The other way is to look at it and say, “Wow”. I’ve got another blank piece of
paper. This is the greatest opportunity in the world because I can now let my
imagination fly in any direction and can create whole new things. “I have spent
a good part of my life convincing people that the blank sheet is the greatest
opportunity in the world and is not frightening at all. In the world and is not
frightening at all”. Marty.
Executive Vice President/Imagineering Ambassador, Walt Disney Imagineering.
Therefore, I think that this article can present a new blank
sheet of opportunity to all youth, especially Ghanaians, and the retiring parents who have nothing to
depend on in their next level of life.
We need to champion the ideas that will bring freedom to us
during our old age. Ghana’s economy can be strengthen by ‘human resource’ and not
necessary labor force. The country, Ghana, needs people who can make an
effective and efficient utilization of its resources. People who can use their
imagination and turn their ideas into something meaningful and worth investing
for dozens of profits and solve the unemployment problem faced by the country.
Talking once again about the youth's misunderstanding of the
word ‘entrepreneurship’, I would like to add that, the youth
think having one's own trading business makes him or her an entrepreneur,
thereby shifting the idea of
entrepreneurship to only service
provision rather than solving the economical problems faced by individuals and
the nation as a whole. Looking into the future, the youth should and must sit down,
plan and design strategies to solve the problems starting with those they think
the economy need solutions to the most down to the least of them. The youth, moreover, in solving the problems
faced by the nation, has to look at the sectors of the economy where government's
attention is the most. These sectors
therefore can be opportune areas where lasting businesses can be built. It is
pathetic hearing the youth and the people of the nation priding themselves about huge quantities of natural resource being
sent to the world market at its raw state. What comes to your mind upon hearing
something like this? Wouldn't it be better to do to transform them into finished
goods and transport ? Its about time you started planing and thinking as a Ghanaian in terms
of the latter rather than the former, because, it is one of the leading factors
that will help solve the economical problems of the nation. May God in His own
way give you the directions you will need to take in order to bring this to a
reality.
Thinking in terms of what the government, thus the policy
makers, has to do rather than the individuals,
the country’s policies must be channeled well into the economy to yield
dozens of benefits to get to those who need it. The government should not only look at how to
use the tax payer’s money but how the people are going to benefit from those
policies in the long-run. It is sometimes very sad when government implements short
term benefitting policies at the expense of long term ones. Ghanaians’
educational system should be looked into very well to scrutinize, if the
country is producing labor force or mere human resource. You would wonder why
every graduate now want employment instead of asking how do I start business around my passion? These
things are happening because of the mind-set we feed our youth with from the
early stage. The Bible cautions that, teach the child the way he should go so
that he does not depart from it at the grown age. This means what you teach a
child determines what he become at the grown age. ‘If you only teach him how to manage someone else's business, he will
end up becoming employee but if you teach a child how to mind his own business,
he will end up becoming an entrepreneur’(Isaac Agya Koomson).
The youth needs the government and the government needs the
youth because all comes back to a system. Country is a system and always inter
related, so the factors within the system have to manage very well in other to
achieve a set goal. The country, Ghana
needs an economic growth and development but it will happen when government and
the youth play their task well. It is my heart desire that a new path will be traveled
and channeled by the youth and the government to enhance our economy.
GOD BLESS YOU MY FELLOW YOUTH
GOD BLESS MOTHER GHANA
ISAAC AGYA KOOMSON
(CEO OF EKSEL consult)
0241332246
Agaster2008@yahoo.com
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