By Zion Abdul Rauf
The Northerner by default is a goodhearted person. We are hospitable, compassionate and empathetic towards even strangers. There is this every day saying that, when you see chicken being slaughtered in the home of a Northerner, just know that he has a stranger at home. That’s the level of our hospitality. Yet, all of these good ways go down the drain with some evil-minded few who don’t want to see the image of the North fly high.
Yes we value our tradition, but we don’t have to play the key of ignorance when it comes to the modern world. The world is fast changing. And the Northerner must change too. We need to get our own people to invest back home and the mentality that when you come back home, you are either bewitched or murdered in cold blood, must give way for the young ones to be proud to put their sweat in our soils.
We blame our people for investing and employing ”outsiders” only to kill those who venture to open up our area to the rest of the world. That fear of not investing back home for a very long time has affected the forward match and develpment of the North for a very long time. It used to be witches and wizards that puts fears in the minds of who ever ventures to develop the area.
The North, aside lacking behind in terms of education has many people making it big and rocking shoulders with their counterparts in other parts of the country. Aside tourism, the northern part of Ghana has lots of agricultural potentials which many investors would like to take advantage of. Investing in the north will reduce both unemployment and poverty.
A lot of people in and outside the Northern part of Ghana in the last few years hailed praises on Mr. Eric Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Cosy Hotel, better known as Jirapa Dubai for his immersed contributions in creating jobs and opening up the north to the rest of the world by investing heavily in the hospitality industry only to be allegedly murdered in cold blood. What picture are we painting to the outside world about the very part of Ghana we pray everyday to see many of such investments? It is sad sometimes to be a Northerner.
12th February, 2024
