Dr Prince Kofi Kludjeson, former President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has called on the Tema Metropolitan Authority (TMA) to get every institution in the metropolis involved in turning Tema into a “smart city”.
“There must be the collaboration between TDC Development Company, TMA, companies and even the citizenry to transform Tema into a smart city,” citing that Dubai used to be a desert which was transformed to what is there today he said.
He said until that was done it would be difficult for any meaningful development and transformation to occur, adding that, whereas in some places, mayors were very important and could achieve a lot, in Ghana due to the political nature of Municipal Chief Executives (MCEs), it was difficult for them to achieve much on their own.
Dr Kludjeson who is the President of Celltel Networks Limited was speaking at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform on the topic, “The New Global Economy and Technological Education.”
The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank platform for state and non-state and commercial and business operators to communicate to the world and address global issues.
Dr Kludjeson, who is also a Chief Technical Advisor for the Centre for Greater Impact Africa (CGIA), stated for instance that good policies such as the One Million Dollars Per Each District could help a long way in developing a place like Tema.
He added, however. that MCEs were handicapped because such monies among others never materialize.
According to him, he gets sad whenever he visited Tema knowing what it used to be, adding that the harbour cum industrial city had all it takes to be more glamorous and richer than what it was now.
“Tema is a wealthy city on its own, it has the biggest harbour in the country, a well-planned city, industries, majority of quality workers in Ghana, the Greenwich among others, but currently there is nothing to talk about Tema and attract people here.
Tema must be revived for people to visit the place,” he emphasised.
The President of Celltel Networks Limited disclosed that his outfit was engaging authorities on how best to transform Tema into a smart city, saying the old buildings could be redesigned into modern ones, while every home must have the provision of wifi and other modern items.
He said the need to have such technological provisions in homes and industries could not be over-emphasized as it would aid productivity, education, health and other aspects of life and the economy of Tema and Ghana as a whole.
Over the years, chief executive officers of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) have produced various slogans and visions geared towards transforming Tema, with some bordering on ‘restoration agenda,’ and ‘make Tema shine again’ among others.
However, realizing those visions to get Tema to what it used to be some decades back, often becomes unrealistic by the time the MCEs leave office due to the loss of their party in an election or the inability of the sitting president to re-nominate them to the position.
The Reverend Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, Executive Director for the Centre of Greater Impact Africa, on his part said there was a need for Ghana to concentrate more on promoting the digital economy as many countries were generating a lot of revenue from it.
Dr Mensah said the development of a comprehensive plan for digital development, would be the catalyst for the country to catch up with the rest of the world.
According to him, the issue of unemployment which was a national threat could easily be solved with the digital economy adding that the employment structure within the technological environment was huge and it could therefore be harnessed to solve the country’s developmental deficits.
