Infrastructure as Key to National Development

Infrastructure is key to national development however; development should not be centrally based as is the common practice in most African countries including Ghana.   Central development dates back to the colonial era when the colonial powers developed only the major town and cities to facilitate trade from the rural regions that supplied raw materials to the main cities for their domestic industries in Europe and elsewhere.

  This has lead to infrastructure being focused in certain parts of the country above others, even the sources of raw material i.e. the geographical regions of  most African nations that supply the center are not built up/developed an example is the Niger –delta  in Nigeria that is fighting for resource control over 10 years now.

 Infrastructure development should spread from a country’s regions to the capital cities, this is another means of allowing regions to develop at their own pace and with available resources. This is necessary because the people in each locality/ regions and their leaders know paramount needs than central based government.

This step will aid manpower development in all regions of the country and reduce the ever present rural –urban migration in the country including social vices that are common in major cities such as Accra etc.  it will also make sure that skilled and unskilled labour absent in our rural areas will be readily available.

  Another reason for regional infrastructure development is its ability to promote national unity among the various ethnic groups in the country. The Rwanda genocide was fueled by propaganda by one ethnic group against the other because; one of the groups felt was being cheated from the country’s natural resources. Another example is the Niger-delta in Nigeria which claims it is being marginalized in the country resources.   

 When infrastructure is being built in most regions of the country, it is expected that it will encourage peaceful co-existence and healthy rivalry among regions and ethnic tribe in the country as is the case in most western nations where little is heard about ethnic clashes though, there have been few cases of racial in-difference.  It is also another way of ensuring productive education reaches all corners of a country, since education is another key to national development; quality education at the regions is the first step towards that goal.

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Though a very expensive venture in these times when the world is reeling from economic depression yet for the sake of the right reasons more private investment should be sought to make it a reality.  Efforts should be directed towards increasing private sector involvement due to speedy release of funds and less governmental bottle necks.  This will also increase private participation in a country infrastructure development and can lead to investors boost within a country and outside as evenly spread development generates both local and foreign investors across the country and outside the country.

  However, there is need to strengthen public-private partnership infrastructure development, this will ensure collective developmental responsibility by both parties and reduce pressure from one sector since, regional infrastructure development is also in line with the African Union (AU) goal and vision for regional and intra-country development which the AU believes can impact on the whole continent when it comes to linking various regions of the continent.

 New infrastructure will not be needed only expansion on the existing ones in various nations that will be used to facilitate travels, commerce etc via roads, rail , sea etc on the continent. End

             Magbegor Ovie

           odyoba@gmail.com