Former National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) CEO, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, has urged African leaders to rethink what counts as progress, warning against celebrating minimal reductions in poverty as if they signify true development.
Speaking on GHToday on Thursday, January 22, 2026, Mr. Nkansah argued that while lifting a few people above the poverty line is positive, it should not create a false sense of achievement.
“I don’t want it to get into our heads that more people are getting out of poverty, and we should be happy, throwing parties and celebrating it, when we should have been doing better than we are doing now,” he stated.
He emphasized that Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, continues to lag behind other regions economically and socially, and that this gap demands urgent action.
“If you look at all the blocs and continents globally, I think it is only Sub-Saharan Africa which is way behind when it comes to development,” he observed, highlighting the need for more proactive leadership.
While questioning whether democratic systems hinder progress, he pointed out that political tenures in Europe and North America have not stopped sustained development.
READ: IEA survey shows majority of Ghanaians positive about country’s direction
“Sometimes I wonder if it is our democracy model, but when you look at Europe and North America, it’s the same four-year tenure, sometimes five, and they are developing with it,” he noted.
He also contrasted Africa’s situation with China’s one-party system, which allows for continuity and long-term planning, though he stressed that young democracies in Africa, like Ghana’s Fourth Republic, can still achieve progress with stability.
“If we start counting from 1992, that’s a little over 30 years. So let’s hope that with the stability we are having, we can consolidate our democracy and accelerate our development at a faster pace than what we are seeing now,” Mr. Nkansah said.
He called for African leaders to pursue bold, long-term development strategies rather than settling for marginal gains that give the illusion of progress.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Barbara Yeboah
