Leadership Lessons I Picked From Ghana’s Presidential Candidate Aspirant Joe Ghartey | Features

It was someplace in 2017 once I began understanding Hon. Joe Ghartey, a 2024 Presidential candidate aspirant of the ruling New Patriotic Celebration and former Legal professional-Basic and Minister of Justice underneath former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s administration, on a private degree. That was shortly after he was sworn-in by President Nana Akufo-Addo as Minister for Railways Growth. Hon. Ghartey, very captivated with creating Ghana’s Railways sector and utilizing rail to spice up financial improvement, hit the bottom operating after he was sworn-in in February 2017. I used to be one of many first three journalists the Railways Growth Ministry chosen to affix its Press Corps at a time when Hon. Ghartey was truly working because the Railways Growth Minister from his workplace as Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan Constituency within the Job 600 constructing, Parliament Home, earlier than the constructing being utilized by the Ministry now was ready. He stayed in his workplace at Parliament for six months with only a secretary however with plentiful optimism. Since then, I’ve been actually near him. 

My first tour with Hon. Ghartey was the inspection of the now Tema-Mpakadan railway line. These have been the early days of Hon. Ghartey’s spectacular revamping of the as soon as ‘lifeless’ Railways sector.

Alongside the journey, I’ve realized rather a lot from this astute Ghanaian politician. Everybody who is aware of me as a journalist is aware of that I really like asking questions. From my days at Each day Information Newspaper once I was primarily overlaying political occasions or reporting on political points, until now, I  have at all times believed that the simplest approach to introduce and as properly market oneself as a journalist is to ask related questions at each operate you attend when the chance is given.

So everytime I went on a tour with Hon. Ghartey, after inspecting work being executed on a selected Railway observe, I’d at all times ask him questions on the event of Railways in Ghana, what the plans have been, what he was going to do, and many others. However every time we (journalists) requested him to speak about what he was doing or to inform Ghanaians what he was going to do for the Railways sector his solutions have been just a little reserved. I spotted that he was a person who likes to work extra and speak much less, one thing I’ve began training myself. In the future at Kpone whereas we have been inspecting the railway line, he jokingly advised me “Melvin, immediately if you happen to do not cease asking questions, you will not eat.” Everybody laughed. Then later, whereas we have been strolling, he advised me,  “the factor is about doing the job and never speaking an excessive amount of about what you’re doing or what you need to do. While you do a superb job, individuals will see and your job itself will converse for you once you present it to them.” 

Hon. Ghartey, after our dialog throughout the tour, remained true to his conviction which is “extra work, much less speak.” And certainly, when a few of the Railways tracks have been accomplished, Ghanaians from in all places, together with even the previous Deputy Basic Secretary of the primary opposition Nationwide Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, have been stuffed with reward. In 2019 he was recognized because the Finest Minister.

It was certainly underneath Hon. Ghartey that Ghana since colonial instances, may boast of normal gauge Railways traces. The nation had since colonial rule by Britain had simply slim gauge rail traces.

Work extra and speak much less

So the primary management lesson I picked from Hon. Ghartey!!! Work extra, speak much less. When you find yourself known as to serve your nation, serve with all of your coronary heart, deal with doing the job and do it properly.

I’ve at all times mentioned a method for Africa to develop or progress is for us to have leaders who speak much less and work extra. A number of our leaders speak an excessive amount of, stuffed with an excessive amount of rhetorics, make guarantees upon guarantees and ship much less or work much less.

Welfare

One other necessary management lesson I picked from Hon. Ghartey is that leaders should try always to not solely be involved about their very own welfare but in addition to be involved concerning the well-being of their workers, their followers or residents.

It was on his birthday in 2018 and we visited the Ghana Railway Growth Authority. Hon. Ghartey had visited the Authority to work together with its administration members and workers, and to his shock, the Authority threw just a little celebration for him in its Board room. Although appreciative of the birthday shock, Hon. Ghartey was primarily involved concerning the well-being of Railway employees in Ghana. Previous to him assuming workplace as Railways Growth Minister, railway employees within the nation had not been paid for a number of months, one thing Hon. Ghartey discovered completely unacceptable. 

So whereas addressing administration of the Ghana Railway Growth Authority then led by its late CEO, Richard Dombo, Hon. Ghartey appealed passionately to administration members of the Authority to always take into consideration the bizarre employees on the Authority comparable to cleaners, drivers, every time they consider growing their very own salaries and allowances. I used to be sitting not removed from him and heard him clearly saying to Mr. Dombo and his administration workers that once you consider growing your personal salaries and allowances, additionally consider growing the salaries and allowances of each workers members as a result of the financial situations that push you to need to enhance your salaries and allowances additionally have an effect on the bizarre employees right here.

After listening to what Hon. Ghartey advised administration of the Authority, I began saying to myself this man is definitely not one of many typical self-centered and grasping African politicians I’ve at all times identified or heard about. He’s certainly, a frontrunner who stands for the much less privileged, a frontrunner who understands the plight of bizarre employees or bizarre individuals.

Take into consideration options and never dwell on issues 

Someplace in 2019, within the afternoon, Hon. Ghartey known as me on telephone and I requested that I meet him in his workplace on the Ministry. He wanted me to do one thing for him so I needed to rush there. Whereas getting back from the Ministry, I met a relative of President Akufo-Addo and whereas we have been speaking, the individual advised me bluntly “the President will take away your man (Joe Ghartey) from workplace”. I requested the individual why the President wished to take away Hon. Ghartey from workplace, and the individual mentioned as a result of “he (Joe Ghartey) is nursing a Presidential Ambition and the President now feels it is best to take away him from workplace so he can go deal with his Presidential undertaking”.

In 2020, Hon. Ghartey publicly revealed his intention to guide NPP into the 2024 Presidential election. And sadly in 2021, he was certainly faraway from workplace apparently due to his Presidential ambition. On the time he was faraway from workplace, he was in full gear modernizing and revamping Ghana’s Railways sector and dealing on constructing what he termed as “financial hubs” alongside main Railways traces. That dream, for obscured political causes, has not come to life since Hon. Ghartey was faraway from workplace, and immediately, little is heard concerning the Railways sector as nothing appears to be occurring within the sector.

So after his elimination, he known as me to his legislation agency, Ghartey & Ghartey, at Labone, a suburb of Accra. Sure, I used to be deeply disillusioned he had been faraway from workplace. So once I met him, I mentioned to him, “my most important concern now could be how we’re going to maintain you within the media from now till the Presidential primaries subsequent yr or in 2023. I’m actually nervous about you not being out of the highlight, within the information commonly.” Then he requested me: “are you nervous?” I responded within the affirmative. After which he advised me to not fear, “God is aware of greatest”, and that fairly than dwelling on what has gone fallacious, we should always fairly take into consideration what we will do.

So Hon. Ghartey taught me one other necessary lesson as a frontrunner and that’s as a individuals, we should always not dwell on our issues, on what went fallacious. Somewhat, we should always deal with discovering options to the issues that confronts us and stay resolute within the face of adversity. When he was faraway from workplace, he didn’t despair. He didn’t take to tv and radio stations to talk in poor health about President Akufo-Addo for eradicating him from workplace just because he declared his intention to guide NPP. He fairly took his elimination from workplace in good religion and moved on.

Right this moment he’s operating for President and I can’t be suprised in any respect if within the close to future Ghana has a President Joe Ghartey. A person who believes in working extra and speaking much less; a person who believes within the welfare of his individuals; a person who works arduous whatever the state of affairs; a person who bears no grudges and is at all times trying on the vivid facet of issues; a person who says God is aware of greatest. Sure that is President Joe Ghartey.