By Mawutodzi K. Abissath
Just keep this popular Chinese proverb in mind as you move on in life: “A journey of a 1000 miles or approximately 2000km begins with one step.”
Leadership
Records show that President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first US President who established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. Then President John F. Kennedy on 25th May, 1961, in a speech - challenged American scientists “to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely by the end of the 1960s.”
True to President JFK’s words, the American scientists took up the challenge and when the state put resources at their disposal, precisely on 20th July, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, through Apollo 11 mission, became the first two humans to land and walk on the surface of the moon in human history. This is inspirational leadership par excellent!
That scientific and technological feat was unprecedented in the annals of human ingenuity. It proved clearly that man is microcosm or a small-scale version, within macrocosm or a larger scale form of God. The inference is that man was truly created by God in His own image. Those who don’t believe in the existence of God should just block there nostrils and mouth for ten minutes and they will live to win other souls to their thinking.
So, over 40 years ago, as village kindergarten kids here in West Africa, our teacher told us that we should stay awake and watch some people from America, who would land on the moon that night. At that time some of us did not even know what is called America.
Indeed, at the appointed time, some of us out of mere curiosity, fixed our naked eyes gazing squarely towards the dark sky and faintly saw some dark object rotating round the moon clockwise several times, as the Apollo 11 space craft was negotiating to land on the fragile moon. We gaped with awe!
Ghanaian scientists
Respected reader, I have related the preceding anecdote to illustrate what a visionary leadership coupled with inspirational direction can do for a nation. If Americans can do it, there is no reason why Ghanaians cannot achieve the same feat. As a matter of fact, as we speak there is a Ghanaian Robotics Engineer by the name Dr. Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, who is not only a mere worker at NASA, but is playing a leading role in Mars Exploration Rover project over there. In fact he was in Ghana a couple of years ago to introduce robotics engineering to some second cycle students in this country.
It is against this backdrop that this writer wishes to commend Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology for officially launching Ghana Space Science and Technology Centre (GSSTC) in May this year. The event took place within the premises of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission School for Nuclear and Allied Sciences here in the capital city.
Priorities
For this writer, the day of the formal launch of GSSTC project, precisely on May 2, 2012, was a fine opportunity for any visionary and inspirational leader in this country, not necessarily a politician, to have come out boldly and thrown a challenge to Ghanaian scientists that, by the year 2030, they must transform say, the Nyanpkala campus of the University of Development Studies into “Ghana Agricultural Space Science Laboratory through the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) project. What is the priority of the Ghanaian leadership over the years?
Ghanaian media
But what amazed this author the more was the lackadaisical manner in which the media covered that epoch-making event. The official launch ceremony of the GSSTC was performed by the Chairman of the Council of State, Prof. Kofi Awoonor on behalf of the President on 2nd May, 2012.
One would have thought that for once, the media would have put politics temporarily on the back burner and blown this scientific and technological dream of our beloved country out of proportion. This is to show to the rest of the world that Ghana too, has taken the first step to its 1000 miles journey into the space.
But the agenda setting role of the Ghanaian media seems to be diametrically opposed to Scientific and Technological Development Theory we studied in Journalism school. What is our priority as the fourth estate of the realm in Ghana?
As we speak, other countries are scrambling for space in the space as the colonial masters were once over one another’s throat for lands in Africa which led to the partitioning of the Continent after the Berlin Conference in November 1885. If Ghana does not make haste now, she will not have a place to plant her flag and later build her embassy in space in the very near future.
Benefits of Space Science Centre
Hon. Sherry Ayittey, Ghana’s Minister for Environment, Science and Technology who outlined the vision, mission and objectives of the GSSTC that day said: “The introduction of advanced technology in most developing nations worldwide has been found to be a key component for accelerated development. This is evident in the important roles played by mobile telecommunications and information technology in changing the socio-economic face of Ghana in the past few years,” she noted.
According to Hon. Sherry Ayittey, “the vision of the Space Centre is to uncover and exploit the capabilities of space science and technology for national socio-economic and technological advancement and development through education and cutting-edge research, “she said.
The Minister enumerated several benefits Ghana stands to gain from the establishment of the Space Centre: “Under Agriculture, we will be able to monitor crops in Continental Climates through assimilation of satellite information; and also space technologies to describe a specific situation using all relevant information available on the territory.”
She cited water availability, soil types, land cover, climatic data geology, population, land-use, administrative boundaries and infrastructure (highways, railroads, and electricity or communications systems.)” for illustration.
Other important benefits Ghana was billed to gain included: “For National Security, space technology application will be used by the security forces to police land, air, and sea of territorial space of the country. It is also required for maintaing law and order such as monitoring major activities in real time.” Ghana is now an oil producing country and her vessels must be protected against rascal terrorists, who have been harassing cargo ships on high sea.
2012 G8 Summit
Only a couple of days ago, President Barrack Obama of US invited the Ghanaian President Prof John Evans Atta Mills, and three other African heads of state to participate in this year’s G8 Summit that took place at Camp David, Maryland . Records show that in the history of G8 Summits, Ghana is the only African country whose Presidents have been invited twice to attend that prestigious summit. The first Ghanaian President to be invited was President John Agyekum Kufour and President Prof John Evans Atta Mills was the second. This is not by accident.
On President Mills return from the G8 Summit, the Ghanaian Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Kwesi Ahoi, who was among the Presesident’s entourage to the Camp David summit told Ghanaians that our beloved country was granted 600 million dollars from a three-billion-dollar fund for the new Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition being championed by the G8 countries.
Thanks to ICT tools the whole world saw it live on television how President Obama was very serious and pointed out that there was no earthly reason why Africa should not be able to feed itself. The chosen few African leaders who were called to partake in the bread and wine on the G8 Summit table went there because of food security in the first place. So, if in the next ten years Africa is able to feed itself and export surplus foodstuffs to America, President Obama’s vision would have been fulfilled. Are African leaders taking any notes?
Suggestion
Since of one of the goals of the Ghana Space Science and Technology Centre is to help in the advancement of the Agricultural sector through the provision of relevant information in water availability, soil types, land cover, climatic data, geology and land-use and so on, it is suggested that at least, five percent (5%) of the $600 million G8 grant should be invested in the Space Centre project. This is where the Nyanpkala Agric Space Science Laboratory project comes in.
Ghanaians must not only think of what to eat today, but what will ensure the survival of posterity as well. This is what I will term as sustainable development. And that is why the wanton destruction of the country’s rivers by “galamsey” operators ought to be seen as a national tragedy.
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