The most transformative lesson
Last year, I visited Singapore for the first time, and apart from admiring the beauty of the country, I sought to learn as much as I could, about how a country that became independent in 1965 (8 years after Ghana) had transformed itself within a relatively short time, into one of the most advanced countries in the world.
To help me gain a deeper insight into some of the reasons behind such an outstanding transformation, I called my good friend Mike Gabo Oquaye, Ghana’s Ambassador to India and asked if he knew anyone at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Mike immediately sent me a few names of people I could contact.
I contacted an elderly Prof and we started a very insightful conversation. The conversation made me both sad and inspired at the same time. It felt like eating sweet and sour Chinese rice in a Chinese restaurant. The sweet aspect came when he heard I was from Ghana and remarked that Singapore drew a lot of inspiration from Ghana at the beginning. Not knowing exactly how to respond to that comment, I said Hmmm.
Today, my focus is on the inspiring part of our conversation.