The fettle is sad but has a grevious implication when it comes to development in a Municipal Capital with over 110,000 people.
The issue of creating jobs has been a tall ladder without any attempt to try climbing it.
People are ready to manage what they have without any attempt to expand it.
Retail has been the Order of the day with foreigners even competing for a share in the Market, talk of motor spare parts, fabrics and textiles, CDs and DVD cassettes, Motorbikes.
The region has been left with “the smart survives” mantra with young men resorting to theft, fruad, sports betting, Smuggling etc. The ladies have resorted to Prostitution. The old men have resorted to begging even for the naming ceremony of their children known in the local language as ‘Jupong’.
Most people within the municipality gave resorted to Susu Savings groups due to the high interest rates of Banks, microfinance and credit Unions in the town.
It will interest you to know that a loan in most credit unions in Wa take 17% interest on Loans per Month making it 204% in a year, very outrageous probably.
Upper west media had called on well to do people to introduce A rural Bank precisely “Wa Rural Bank” to aid growing businesses with lower interest rates, this was met with insults and condemnation with others suggesting Wa is not a rural area.
We have wondered why towns like techiman, Kumasi have been so competitive and expansive in business yet our towns in Upper West are sluggish.
Techiman has over 5 Rural Banks, BACCSOD, Otuasekan and the likes, Kumasi has Banks Like Odotrobri, Multi Credit and many more and they are able to subsidize interest rates for Natives to Push through in Business.
We have 4 Rural Banks in Upper West, Nandom Rural Bank, Lawra Area Rural Bank, Sissala Rural Bank, Sungzelle Rural Bank. Have we bothered to Utilize and invest in these rural Banks?, People invest in foreign Banks which have no interest in the natives of the town rather than to drain them. Nobody will move from Kumasi or Accra to Upper west to sympathize with you if not to use you in the Banking Game.
Very soon people from Bole, Bamboi, Sawla will soon be independent as a region (Savanna) and cut off from Wa, that is when the booming businesses will begin seeing the worse in retail and whole sale if people don’t venture into creating more jobs. Social vices will become a norm as most business men in Upper West don’t pay workers.
When most entrepreneurs in Wa establish their business, they engage workers and use them, when it comes to payment there become a problem, security or night watchmen in Parts of Wa Take home Ghc 50 a month with some even having a challenge in accessing it.
When you work for someone in Wa and begin experiencing changes, they begin suspecting you, thinking you are stealing from them, they expect you to look helpless and wretched to please them.
They never establish you, what do I mean by establish? At least to be working under someone doesn’t mean you wouldn’t want to settle in future, an entrepreneur should plan towards establishing their workers after some years of services in order to create opportunity for them to be able to also develop and employ others as a way of widening the job net in the region. This has been met with strong opposition to ensure the youth never become self reliant but rather liabilities.
We equally have lazy youth in the town who think they are too relevant to engage in certain businesses, this has pushed them into idling, begging and stealing to maintain their extravagant standards.
Its that simple, this is happening to the youth because we hate to travel outside the net of Wa to explore other environments, the Akans here also have a home , the igbos here have a home, the dagombas here have a home, the Zabarma’s selling phones and earpins here have a home yet they move miles to make money and earn a living. Let that be a motivation, also go outside your town to make it.
Some Businesses, Rich Waala/Dagaaba/Sissala Can go into in order to Create more Job Opportunities.
1. Establish a Television Station
This business and social development idea will create a wide range of jobs(camera men, hosts, journalists, editors, graphic designers, producers, sound engineers etc) to employ the hardworking youth. It’s easy to bring one home, firstly, some of these TV stations are struggling, negotiate with the management and buy it, secondly, visit the multimedia group(kokomlemle, Accra)to make enquires, you can afterwards decide to make it a video playback TV station or live coverage.
2. Farms.
One can invest in Agricultural inputs and resources in the form of wholesale to employ some workers as retailers.
3. Introduce low interests on home based businesses.
The four major rural banks in upper west should work on business loan interests to make them friendly to people with good business initiatives that can expand and employ others.
4. Build simple markets in the various district capitals and towns to reduce inflation and harness trading amongst the people within these communities.
Commitment comes with Responsiblities.
By:Tuorimuo Elvis Philip/ Upperwestmedia.net