Ghana Has No Excuse to Be Poor: A-Plus || Masterminds Podcast EP56

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Ghana has gold. Ghana has cocoa. Ghana has some of the most resourceful, creative, and resilient people on the continent. So why are we still poor? That is the question A-Plus has been asking his entire life — and he has never stopped demanding an answer.

In this episode of the Masterminds Podcast, Richie Mensah sits down with Kwame Asare Obeng — musician, activist, Member of Parliament, and one of Ghana's most unapologetically outspoken voices — for a conversation that covers everything from growing up as a rebel in Saltpond, to using music as a political platform, to what he would change in Ghana's Constitution if he had the power. A-Plus breaks down why Ghana's politicians are scared of their own electorates, why the people are just as responsible as the leaders, and why he believes Ghana can build something the world has never seen from Africa — starting right now.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why A-Plus has always been a rebel — and why that was never a bad thing
• How he used music as a platform when he had no newspaper, no microphone and no connections
• Why power resides where the people decide to place it
• Why Ghana has every resource it needs and still has no excuse to be poor
• The three constitutional changes A-Plus would make to fix Ghana's governance system
• Why politicians are scared of electorates — and how that fear keeps the country poor
• Why the people are just as responsible for bad leadership as the leaders themselves
• What it took for A-Plus to win his parliamentary seat without buying a single vote

Chapters

00:00 – Intro 02:02 – Meet A-Plus: The Rebel From Saltpond 06:21 – Growing Up Different and Thinking Different 10:28 – His Father, the First Private School and Community Roots 13:03 – Faith, Identity and Making Decisions for Yourself 23:39 – Using Music as a Political Platform 25:57 – Organized a Demonstration in Secondary School — and Got Sacked 30:52 – Ghana Has No Excuse to Be Poor 40:54 – Politicians Are Scared of Their Electorates 47:21 – Africa and the Future: Stop Talking, Start Building 53:10 – Building a City in Gomoa by 2036 01:05:39 – The People Are Also the Problem 01:11:09 – Three Constitutional Changes Ghana Needs 01:24:38 – Final Message: You Have No Excuse

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Everything was different. I had a difficult time in secondary school because I didn't understand everything that they did. Because in secondary school, I was the rebel leader. I spent some time in domestic, and I couldn't complete because I was stuck. I organized a demonstration because it was no plan. Ghana does not have any reason, no excuse to be poor. I I keep asking people why do we mine gold in Ghana and export it? When I post that we are going to build a city and by 2036, we should have a beautiful city in Gomorrah. You'll find people who come and they laugh. 2036, they are just like their fathers. We can build this country and it will all start when men put power where they know power must reside.

SPEAKER_06 0:43

You know, sometimes we sit there, we blame the politician, we blame politics, we blame the parties, but maybe we are the problem.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Every developed country, anywhere in the world, the leaders are rich, the countries are richer, the people are okay. It is only in Africa where the leaders become rich, the countries become poor, and the people become poorer. Yeah, there is nothing wrong with being rich as a leader.

SPEAKER_06 1:07

What are the first three things you will change in the constitution?

SPEAKER_00 1:10

I will give a lot of power to the National Development Planning Commission.

SPEAKER_06 1:16

Before we jump into the conversation, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting and deciding to watch this episode. But now I have a favor subscribe to the channel. Subscribing to the channel helps me and the entire masterminds team to continue bringing you wonderful conversations and episodes that bring you closer to being the mastermind you deserve to be. So join the community. Welcome to the Masterminds Podcast. As always, I am your awesome tour guide. My name is Richie Menta, and I'll be guiding you on a journey to sharpen your most powerful weapon, your mind. Today's episode I have been waiting for for so long. Because even though he agreed to do this episode, this interview a long time ago, finding the time has been difficult because this man chose to serve one of the hardest decisions anybody can make. Today I am seated with the awesome Kwame Asari or Bing, but as everybody likes to call him, A. How B.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

I'm good. It's a song that I remember about some uh some few years ago.

SPEAKER_06 2:33

It's about to go.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

So finally we are here.

SPEAKER_06 2:36

Charlie, so nice to have you here.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_06 2:39

First of all, congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 2:42

You know, I I've seen a lot of people when they start out, you imagine what they should become, but mostly they don't achieve it. And we still say, Oh, what happened to this guy? But I remember from the first time that you used your voice to talk about social issues and the way things should be, to you actually being in a position to do something about it. And it's an amazing journey, you know.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Uh thank you. I think that uh you forgot to tell your uh viewers that uh you are my small brother, not brother as in street brother, but as in house brother, because we have the same mother.

SPEAKER_06 3:29

You still jelly.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

It's uh there's one person that checks upon me. Yeah, we speak, and she's always talking about you. She believes she believes in me.

SPEAKER_06 3:40

She believes in you so much, you know. From right from the beginning, mommy always kept saying, Hey, Richie, hey plus and hello, mommy.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

We are here, we are doing family things.

SPEAKER_06 3:53

Yes, mommy, this episode is for you. Okay, let's start. Let's start from the beginning. I always like to start from the beginning. Yeah, let's look at growing up in Salt Pond. What's what's what was the mindset of the small boy, the small Kwame that helped shape you to become the man that you are all the way from Salt Pond?

SPEAKER_00 4:10

I think that growing up, I wanted to have a voice. I was very different. I've always been different. When I was growing up, I I didn't eat fufu.

SPEAKER_06 4:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Not because I didn't like fufu, because I didn't like pounding fufu. And my father was a very fair guy. If you don't pound, you won't eat. So simple and short, I won't pound. So I won't eat. So the first day my mother saw me eating fufu, she was shocked.

SPEAKER_06 4:36

Ah. So did you pound it before you ate?

SPEAKER_00 4:39

No, in in a in a chopper.

SPEAKER_06 4:41

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

And then I I was eating my fufu. I said, Ah, I will eat the fufu. I said, I hung it in some, I had the noyam, I'm walking. You know, I I always wanted to have a different view on on things. My my whole family is Jehovah's Witness. I I have a lot of respect for Jehovah's Witnesses. I think that they have a certain way of bringing kids up, and it is very beneficial to society. However, I didn't see myself believing in the same uh uh uh doctrine that everybody believed in. I just wanted to be different.

SPEAKER_07 5:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Yeah. When when you see people going towards this direction, just turn around and run to the opposite direction. There is something there always. And you know, history is uh the preserve of those who have the courage to try, no matter how how how many times you feel. And so growing up, I always wanted to do something, something very different. And that's why I'm Hasselfolk supporter. Everybody in the area was like it's a house for when you support us. Okay, then I I'm Hass.

SPEAKER_06 5:50

So represent Hassan.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

So I was the only Hass supporter. And the last time Ajimabedu asked me uh if I know Hasselfolk players, I said I'm a quamer great. And he said he has stopped playing football like 20 years ago. I didn't I don't even know the players, but I'm a you're a hard supporter by principle. Yes, yes, yes. Every people must be different. So growing up, everything, everything was different. I I had I had a difficult time in secondary school because I didn't understand everything that they did. Uh I I thought that human beings had to be different, you had to think different. Yeah. Yeah, it was not it was not a good thing, if you like. Because uh that's the the institutions are meant to shape you, but that shaping itself was a problem for me because I I didn't want to live by the standards of people who don't know where they go when they sleep. You know, and so it has been very difficult.

SPEAKER_06 6:46

Okay, so that explains a lot. So that means you grew up there, if I if I'm allowed to say the rebel. Yes, yes, and I I honestly speaking, that makes me understand certain things because you've always struck me as somebody who challenges the system. And the truth is, if you're not able to think like that, you won't be able to build anything because you'll just become one of the followers.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Yeah, um I I'm a very nice person. Okay, I know plenty of people who disagree, but okay, yeah, it is and uh and uh I like I I like people to have that image of me in their minds. It's fine. Okay, so when they come close, they see a different person and they can't and they don't ever go. Okay, all my friends, all the people that you know were with me, or let me say, majority of the people that you know uh are my friends are still my friends. Those that you knew 20 years ago, 10 years ago, yeah, I've they are still with me. They understand me. They know I'm the nicest person to be with. It's just that uh Canada Japan, we say, and and everybody wants people to, everybody, people wake up and the first thing they think about is how to treat people badly, and they expect people to accept it, and that makes you a very good person. Uh, you just have to understand people. I'm I'm the nicest person to be around, and I know. Um I've been friends with Dada Havkov forever. When I had my first child, I went with him to the hospital to get to pick my daughter from the profit. We've still been friends, not just him, everybody. Yeah, just a few witches and wizards have found their way out. If you like, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 8:33

The witches and wizards, if you are watching right now, you know yourself.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Anytime I'm on an interview like this, I say, listen, everybody likes Kwame. Yeah, only witches and wizards don't like Kwame A Plus. Everybody likes Kwame A Plus.

SPEAKER_06 8:45

But the truth of the matter is, anybody who speaks their mind all the time, if you don't like them, then I personally think you are the problem. Yeah. Because the person is speaking their mind, they are speaking their truth. You are also free to speak your truth as well. Like having a different opinion does not mean you should dislike somebody.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

I even don't care if you think I am the problem. I accept it.

SPEAKER_06 9:13

No, when I say you're not the problem. No, no, I'm saying the problem.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

No, some people think that I am the problem. You think that they are the problem. Yeah. And some people think I am the problem or you are the problem. I don't even have a problem with that. I can be the problem. This whole world is a big problem. Yeah. And once you are not conforming to people's standards, then you become the problem. I don't ever make trouble. I don't start, I don't want to be the problem. But if you bring the problem, no problem.

SPEAKER_06 9:46

I like that quote. I don't want to be the problem.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

I don't start. I don't I don't, I'm not the problem. I don't want to be the problem, but if you bring the problem, no problem.

SPEAKER_06 9:56

I like that. I'll I'll tweet that someday. Let's go back to your father, like how you mentioned he won't let you eat if you don't pound the fufu.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 10:06

So your father, I hear, opened the first private school in Goma Central.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 10:11

Do you think right from that time it gave you a sense of responsibility when it comes to your community?

SPEAKER_00 10:18

Uh, you know, there are certain things that we grew with unconsciously, and we pick certain uh uh behaviors, certain attributes. We pick them without knowing. So I believe that where I grew up um really shaped who I have become today. It's just that I'm a very strong person and I don't have a tattoo. Not because I don't like it, it's something that I really like. I wish I could have one. But the only time I'll have a tattoo is when I can clean it when I want to. I don't want to have a tattoo that is stuck on you that is stuck on me forever. I will it will it will depress me. So even though uh my father had his own way of doing things, he was a Jehovah's Witness and all. And it shaped me at every given point, periodically, I come, I review everything and say, is it really what I want to do? Okay, I've accepted this for 10 years, but does it work? Will it work? Do I have to make some changes? So I'm not I'm not radical, I'm not extremist. At every point, today I I I believe that people uh must not wear men must not wear earrings. That's I'm just making an example. Okay, but after 10 years, it is it the same? Has has it changed? So, you know, this is how I look at things.

SPEAKER_06 11:48

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SPEAKER_00 12:43

I Pentecost. Yeah, Pentecost, yeah. Well I've told Pentecost people that when I die, they should bury me. So are you Pentecost or are you Pentecost after death?

SPEAKER_01 12:54

No.

SPEAKER_06 12:56

But how are you able to do that? You know, one of the toughest things for most people is to break away from the beliefs that have been instilled in them. Yeah, you know, like I say this all the time that you are born into religion, born into education, born into wealth, you are born into systems that you never chose. And most people just stay there for the rest of their lives. How are you able to change your beliefs?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Okay, so when I see people fighting over religion, Christianity, Islam, I just ask them, why are you Christian?

SPEAKER_07 13:30

Very good question.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Why are you Muslim? If your your father were Muslim, would you be Christian? You will be Hajiya something right now.

SPEAKER_07 13:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Hajia, if your parents were Christian, you will be you will be Christian, you will be Hajir. What makes you a Christian or Muslim is what you decide. So if I get up today and I say I want to be Muslim, it is because I have decided to be Muslim, not because I'm Muslim because my parents were Muslim. And those who you see, religion is a very interesting thing. And that's why I said that at every given time I have to review do I still like what I'm doing?

SPEAKER_07 14:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Is it the right thing? Uh, how was I thinking when I made this decision? If I were to make this decision today, would I have made the same, would I make the same decision? So people don't think like that. My mother is Muslim, I'm Muslim, that's it.

SPEAKER_07 14:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

I in most cases, when I when I have a conversation with my mother, she's also Jehovah's Witness, I ask her, so your Bible says that teach the child the way they should grow and they will never depart from it. And the same Bible says that uh honor your mother and your father so that your days will be long on earth. So Muhammad's father, Muhammad has to honor his parents by being by listening to them and being uh Muslim. Yeah, and Muhammad has to also honor his child, and the Bible, your Bible is telling you that Muhammad's father should teach the child the way he should grow, he will never depart from it. And then you go and tell Muhammad that he should disobey his parents, and the way that they were is you come and become the what are you doing? Your Bible is saying that don't do that, and you are doing it.

SPEAKER_06 15:31

True. So so in actual fact, converting someone is against your religion.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Your religion. Yeah, your religion has told you that people parents should teach their children the way they should grow, and they will never depart from it. Yeah, and no one will depart. It is in your Bible. So I I think that all of this is a state, is it a state of mind, it's in your head.

SPEAKER_07 15:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

I grew up and decided to make decisions for myself. My kids, my daughters, sometimes I ask their mothers, are you sure that when they grow, they will be happy that you how difficult is it to pierce your ear when you are old? Why don't you leave them when they grow and they want to pierce?

SPEAKER_06 16:11

Let them do it.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

But why are you piercing their ear like now?

SPEAKER_06 16:16

Most of us don't realize that we pass on traditions, we pass on certain things without even questioning it. Yeah. And even asking, does the person want this? You know, and I've I've come to see it. So, like, let's say me. When I started watching football, right? This was like '98.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Were you watching us now? No. Please don't.

SPEAKER_06 16:38

You think I'll be mentally stable if I was watching Arsenal? No, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

So you are saying that we are not mentally. We are just trying to tell you that don't join us. We we are going through we are going through our own problems.

SPEAKER_06 16:50

You always Arsenal bear. But when I started watching football, which was 98, my father was a strong Manchester United fan. My brother was a strong Manchester United fan. And then the time I started watching 1998, 1999, 2000, that was the height of the Ferguson era with Beckham and all, and many was wearing the treble and everything. So I automatically became Manchester United fan. Now later on, when Ferguson left and coach after coach, then I'm getting depressed.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

You are stuck there.

SPEAKER_06 17:22

I'm stuck there. Not I was, I am stuck there. Yeah. And I keep asking myself sometimes that okay, so if I was born in a different family and maybe I started watching football.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

And you're watching Chelsea. Thank you. But you'll be Manchester. Thank you. That is the issue.

SPEAKER_06 17:37

And most of us find it difficult.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

There are a lot of people who are stuck to Chelsea because my Asian was there and they went and watched my Asian and they became Chelsea fans. Yes. I became a Hasslefolk fan because I was not happy that Hasslefolk didn't have supporters in our area. And Ramadai had Hasselfolk. It's just that I don't know the players.

SPEAKER_06 17:57

So really most of us make major decisions based on very small things. And then I think one thing that hurts people the most is we make those decisions become our identity. So I am a Christian, Ghanaian, Manchester United supporter. I do this, I do that, and we make that our identity. So now the moment anybody says anything contrary to what we call our identity, we think it's an attack.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

Yes, yes. And all of these, when you read um uh Mark Mensen's book, everything is uh yeah. There is a line in that says how to there's a page that uh that says uh how to start a church and where to find your first member. You have to read it. Okay, yeah, and there is the we versus them page, yeah. So it is asana versus united, yes, and and because of our egos, we don't want to lose. So even in Christianity, the Catholic versus the Protestants, thank you. The the the Catholics think they are better than the than uh the the Pentecostal. It's not even good enough for you to be a Christian, even in Christianity, even in Christianity, one Christian is better than the other Islam, the Shia, and the uh who I don't know how they call them, Shunni or whatever. Yeah, and it's the same everywhere, and it is always we versus them, and those who those who establish these religions, they are so smart. Yeah, they know they understand. Look, the the kind of psychology that goes into all of this is huge. They understand your mindset, they know what you are looking for, they know how to get you to kill. Sometimes I ask my mother, when did you see an angel coming from heaven holding a book that and dropping it and saying that this is the word of God? Why don't you just do yours and wish others will? Let them do theirs.

SPEAKER_06 20:00

Yeah, why I think it worries a lot of people, and the division is crazy, like you're saying, and it's not even just religion. Let's say if you take Ghana, it's not good enough to be a Ghanaian. Yes, that is I'm I'm I'm an Ashanti.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Yes, I'm awe.

SPEAKER_06 20:15

No, I'm Ghana. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

All of them, but when you meet them in Hitro, nobody comes with Ashanti passport, nobody comes with away passport, everybody comes with Ghanaian. And the first question they ask you, are you a Ghanaian? Thank you. They never ask you, Are you Ashanti? When you say you are Ghanaian, before they ask you, oh, where are you from? Oh, I'm from who? Oh, and if it if that's an away person, then it starts speaking away. Yeah, we are Ghanaian. However, even amongst us as Ghanaians, there are divisions. And and and these things happen, and you have to be smart. You have to be smart. Look, it's the same in politics. Yeah, somebody is NDC and somebody is MPP. I keep telling people, I don't care about NDC and NPP because I know that we will definitely meet at a certain intersection. You are NDC. I'm MPP, so you don't like me. But maybe we are all ASNA. So when it comes to ASNA, we will agree. True. I know there is a point where we will definitely meet.

SPEAKER_06 21:08

We see NDC and MPP man fighting somebody because he's my.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Yes. And these days, the good thing is that most of them are betting. So when they come to betting, NDC and MPP can come together and ensure that they win. And and and then we need we need all the BR. Very true. Who power resides where men say it resides.

SPEAKER_06 21:34

Where we place the power. You know, I've always said this, and I know they'll attack me, but me, for instance, I'm not a fan of politics.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 21:42

I'm not a fan of anything where people make decisions based on where they stand. I always want people to make decisions based on logic, based on what they've thought of. So, for instance, I don't want someone to say, because I am NPP, an MPP.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

person is always right because I'm and easy an NDC person is always right we should be able to question each other and make each other better who is who is who is more more powerful President Mohammed the police the military or let's say donald trump yes donald trump the police and the military in America who is more powerful I would say Donald Trump that's a good answer who who has uh power to to who has power to kill when the when there's a military man with a gun a policeman with a gun and a president in a suit who has the power to kill in that case the policeman first but do you know that Donald Trump can slap the military man and he'll say yes sir he's still holding the gun yeah power resides where men say it Trump is powerful because they say he is powerful you meet you meet many military people at a parade holding guns and and and just one person walking power resides where men say etc and I wouldn't wait you for you for any politician to tell me where power resides I know where power resides that's why I walk into a constituency and took it I know you know the power is in you and and there is another one coming to happen.

SPEAKER_06 23:28

I like that it's a confidence let's on that note let's start from when you started speaking confidently you know the first time I heard you talking and ironically you're talking about freedom of speech. Yep I was so shocked I mean first of all we all know that most people when they are doing music are concentrating on entertainment and lifestyle and all but this is somebody who was bold enough to talk about social issues and not just talk about it in a passing way to attack it. Now that I know you're a rebel I really understand what gave you the courage to know that not only am I allowed to have a contrary opinion I can be a voice that will let people think deeper.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

I've seen the graves of many men who never fought for fear that they would die. Okay I've seen the graves of so many men who never fought for fear that they would die. So they never achieved anything because they were scared that they would die so they never fought I've seen their graves everybody would die. So the question is what did you do while you were living so it's not about fighting for your rights. It's not about fighting for underprivileged people it's not about fighting for women and children it's not about the fight itself it's about what you are fighting for it's not it's not just the fight what are you fighting for whether you fight or you don't fight because you are scared you will die you would positively die. What are you fighting for you have to fight for something especially under privileged persons and communities people there's so many people who need to to be enlightened politicians have taken people for granted for so long and all the politicians you see out there they know that they know the truth they know the right thing and they like it when you're doing the right thing they just can't voice it because they are scared yes and so when I set out to do music I didn't set out to do music because I wanted to make music for people to dance I was looking for a platform I didn't have a newspaper I was not a newscaster I was not a journalist but I knew that I can just make music and put it out there and everybody will hear and I'll use that platform to be able to say what I want to say because in secondary school I was the rebel leader. When I was in secondary school all those who are in my school now I went to I spent some time in Bremen Sikuma I couldn't complete because I was sacked because I was the rebel. So in Bremen Sikuma secondary school I organized a demonstration because there was no light. There was light in the town but there was no light in the school so I had to organize a demonstration and I was informed too by then I took all my seniors everybody followed me you see politics it doesn't start from oh yeah it starts from I know somebody who I was doing politics in small pools you know so I organized a demonstration took everybody to town yeah and we went to demand electricity to the school and in two weeks the school was connected to the national grid I was sacked oh really they were finding a way to sack me they did they said everything they did everything to sack me but today I'm happy that the kids who are enjoying electricity in the school are enjoying it because of what I did. So it didn't start from yeah I was sacked from the school I organized friends of Jerry Rollins in on campus when I was in form two yes and then the Ghana news agency came and reported that uh the students of Remessicuma secondary school have uh uh uh formed friends of Jerry Rollins in in on campus and our headmaster was a strong MPP man and that was close to the 1996 or so election okay and so we were sucked rebel from long you know so I uh from from my childhood days I was always the uh I always had an opinion yeah I was the opinion leader everywhere I found myself I was the one that was speaking on behalf of everybody I was the one that would come to dining hall and say why why can I see the beans standing in the water when we have paid school fees the beans is standing in the water no the beans must not be standing in the water and then we'll pour it in the dining hall dining hall must all be looking at us you know and so when I left school when I was sucked from school and nothing was working I decided I have to continue talking. Maybe I can do it through music. So the first time I had an opportunity to enter the studio I had to say everything that I I wanted to say about everybody. Took it off so many things and I I keep telling people that I've been paranoid by default. I grew up in a place where we didn't have electricity it took a long time before my father connected us to the national grid himself uh we didn't have no hospital if you were sick you would have to walk for about two miles to get to a place where you can find a car to go to the hospital and and we keep we kept hearing stories Ghana has gold you go you go and you write essay Ghana has minerals you write so from a very tender age I was asking myself why are we living like this? Because I didn't understand it.

SPEAKER_06 28:45

And I believed that we had to do something so every day you see I hated the entire system okay I don't hate anybody in Ghana but this system I didn't like it and then we look we watch TV and we see other countries why can't we be like these people and I I really wanted to do something so uh I have always been a politician from from my childhood days yeah you know I I would say that your energy and your spirit is admirable and if we had more people like you Ghana would be moving much faster because one thing I always say is Ghana's biggest advantage is our biggest disadvantage our biggest advantage and disadvantage is we accept things the way they are oh and found oh it's okay you know somebody is working in public they push you oh oh don't worry we are very very polite now it's a great thing it prevents wars it prevents excessive fighting it prevents excessive noise right but at the same time too it makes us accept systems that need changing we are very okay with the fact that this thing has been going wrong for the past 40 years but nobody's done anything about it and it's fine I don't need to be the one to do something about it.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

So when we have people like you who can watch and say no but there can be a better way what can we do you know sometimes it's not even about finding the solution or even just asking the question of what can we do can start you know a cascade of events that will lead to a solution I I I think that uh the people of this country like you said don't know their power they have been boxed into NDC MPP into various religions where you have to be obedient and so immediately you find yourself uh uh uh uh outside their their their standards you become a deviant and all of that and so it is that is the problem that we face if I were president of Ghana and I maybe I don't have to share this but uh I'll share it so that anybody who in in the next 10 20 years when people see it being done they'll say that a plus is ahead a plus was ahead of his time I I keep asking people why do we mind gold in Ghana and export it yeah why it doesn't make sense to me it doesn't make sense and the last thing that I'll make i I'll allow anybody to do is to make me feel like me I'm not intelligent and the and the first thing that I tell people when I start talking to them is that means like I will not I don't even I know so if I feel like I'm not intelligent I won't do the things that I have to do. So me anytime anytime I'm talking to people I say look you see me I guess it's too much. So what would you do instead of exporting the gold what is Bitcoin Bitcoin is digital gold bitcoin is digital currency that is backed by speculation backed by nothing. If it crashes it crashes that's everybody will lose their money yeah nothing.

SPEAKER_06 32:02

It's backed by the faith people have in it faith yeah bitcoin is like a church yeah it is it's a quote that's why now Bitcoin they say in code we trust the same way you know the dollar would say in God we trust now Bitcoin is in code we trust so if people can create a digital currency that is backed by nothing just speculation and faith and trust and it is a one Bitcoin it's valued at hundred thousand dollars if I have gold I will create a stable coin that is backed by gold and I believe strongly that everybody will buy mine because mine is not backed by speculation it's backed by real world assets.

SPEAKER_00 32:53

So when I mine gold and I and I tell you that I have a gold mine which has two million ounces of gold in this gold mine. And so I'm going to issue a stable coin to raise money to mine gold and back that coin with the the gold that we mine everybody will give you money everybody everybody will give you money and gold has been the standard for wealth for thousands of years let's say Elon Musk buys a gold mine in Ghana today. Elon Max he comes to Ghana and he buys a huge gold mine do you know that his net worth will appreciate immediately yeah as soon as he buys the mine so he is going to buy a mine even before he mines his network will appreciate yeah so why is it that Ghana has so much gold but our network has not appreciated because yeah can just buy a land do uh uh do all the tests and know that okay there are two million ounces of gold here and therefore it it is part of his asset Ghana has so millions of ounces of gold why is that nothing has appreciated it's like you've been saying from the beginning and it's not just um power it's also wealth yeah wealth is also determined by faith and education thank you and the kind of things that they are being taught yeah they are being they are not being taught to use their brain so I keep telling people that mean when I when I die you cannot use my brain for brain transplants because you've used it is overused what I say agree with you are saying yeah but there are so many people that when they die you open their head take their hey fool brand new when you scheduled yeah you understand there are so many people who have gone to school but I ask myself why is it that next month Dubai is hosting I don't know how this war is going to affect this conference but Dubai is hosting token 2049. It's a crypto conference that is where the world is moving to yeah that is the new era of of project financing let's say I raise I raise funds to build a city now I want to develop the Gomo Central Special Economic Zone. I want to build an industrial park I want to build a whole industrial city I said Richie give me uh 10 000 cities I will give you uh shares in this yeah every as the city grows your the value of your your money appreciate but take this coin I'm giving you this coin as your share in the city that we are building yeah in the next 10 years our city will be like Dubai do you know the revenue that will make and how much your coin will give you people must apply look people must think and I don't care whether you have gone to all the schools in the world whether you came from Harvard I think that you are not intelligent and I don't know if the problem I don't know the if the problem is because I'm also a black person we have to start thinking.

SPEAKER_06 35:44

Yeah what is the problem because if let's let's even just take Ghana the the Africa problem there is big but let's even just take Ghana like gold and cocoa are two of the most luxurious industries in the world and we are highest exporters in both of them like they mention Ghana in every conversation in these industries when they are talking globally so why can Ghana not boast of Ghana cannot Ghana does not have any excuse to be poor.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Yeah we don't Ghana does not have any reason no excuse to be poor and I'm excited that you see this president the only problem that he has is that he's a member of the party and you know how these parties but he's a strong man so he's pushing to and he's doing a lot and the system is so it's so the system that he inherited or not the system that he inherited but this system for so many years yeah has been destroyed to the extent that it becomes difficult for anybody to change it in four years but you have to show that it is something that you can do and that is exactly what he has shown yeah and I like him I've I keep telling people look you cannot box me into any party it's not possible. Oh and from beginning you've criticized MPP MPC it will not work and you cannot you cannot win an election against me I don't still come on fan so I don't lie okay I don't still come off and like they brought money come on fan we're going to use come on MPs come off and use it to do ABCD. I'm not going to steal it most politicians are scared of electorates because they they will steal the money so they have something to be afraid of so they have something to be afraid of yeah if you don't vote for me I don't care last last about a week ago somebody said oh you you'll be a one term MP I was like wow one term MP let me let me let me let me tell you something between now and 2020 Dangote would send me a text message I'm trying to reach you please call back I like do you know the things I'll do between now and that election that you you are thinking about election you know the things that I'll do with this my brain in three years and the kind of people who want to have a conversation with me that you you are only thinking about election no don't think like that but don't you think that's part of the problem Ghana must not be poor Ghana must not be poor we have no reason to be poor no child in this country must go to bed hungry it must not happen. We have everything to make every child happy to make every woman happy to make every hardworking father successful there is no there is no excuse to be poor but the reason why we are poor the reason why we are not taking advantages advantage of all the the resources that we have is because the politicians are scared of the electorates is because they are scared of the next election I am not scared of the next election you won't pass parliament to heaven if there is heaven that's not where you pass to heaven I'm not scared of the next election and I want to show Ghans that when you do the right thing the people reward you if they are scared the politicians don't have the the will yeah they know the right decisions to take and I was so excited about something the president said at the last State of the Nation address he said it I know it is difficult but we have to take that bold decision. That is a leader. Yeah most leaders can't do that most leaders can't do that and so the reason why we are poor and we are where we are is because we don't have leaders who are who are courageous enough. Why do you allow Chinese people to come here fill up lagoons because they want to build on it if I am president of Ghana a lot of people will go to jail because you are paid a town planning your job as town plan and country planning is to ensure that our country is well planned our towns are well planned you drive along a certain stretch every day you see people building illegal structures everywhere you don't do anything about it in some cases you issue permits for them to put the buildings there and then one day it becomes the burden of the MP to go and demolish it it becomes the burden of the mayor to go and demolish it it becomes the burden of the of the uh uh uh uh metropolitan assembly to go and demolish it the regional minister of greater accurate is always up and doing she's always at one place or the other trying to decongest the city what happened all these years what was town and country planning doing and that's why that woman in her next election I'll be one of her donors greater regional ministers minister I'll be one of her donors I will support her she's a woman and it takes a lot of courage to be able to say look I have to do this yeah the politicians are scared they cannot do it and the country will never develop because everybody's looking at the next election that's that is what I believe is the problem because at the end of the day people are only as efficient as their motivation so if somebody's only motivation is I need to stay in power in the next three years it's like let's let's come down now we're talking about leadership and we're talking in government let's come down to the most basic leadership which is being a parent can you imagine if as a parent you have to do what would make your child like you or they will vote you out in four years.

SPEAKER_06 41:25

You will never do what's good for your child. When your child says I don't want to do homework I'm tired you say oh sleep sleep when your child wants to go partying instead of learning for exams you say oh it's fine it's fine because you don't actually care about taking care of your child you care about your child's like opinion of you but a good parent knows that you will do the right thing because this is what is good for you. I believe the biggest problem with our system is that most people let me not say everybody because we have people like you most people are so concerned with staying in power that they don't want to even do what's right.

SPEAKER_00 42:03

You're right and um I think that the young people of today are doing very well a lot of young people don't have parties they don't care about your ideology Dan Kwabuzia and Dombo and uh Keda and they don't care about that. Ask your ask all the Gen Z that you find around if they know anything about Dan Kwabuzia and Dombo and Keda and Rollins went in studio and they don't care about those things. They care about who is solving their problems now. Thank you. I told them I'll beat you this election I'll beat all of you look but so me my campaign everybody campaigned against me everybody who is somebody in this country campaign against me and they you showed them that okay we'll give you a showdown okay my research was telling me that we are winning and there are people who are just coming up and making noise hey chairman Maba we mammon tuabamana or baby the next day I go to the town with my boys from a class in a yabano and almost and I'm telling the young people I've given them free internet because they have to learn yeah they have to be part of the world I've given them if you don't have internet how are you going to use grog sure how are you going to use Canva everything that you see that I do editing videos uh uh graphics I do everything by myself oh nice yes everything that you see I do I do everything I edit my own videos I do everything because you have knowledge because I have knowledge and I have internet yeah and I had young people in my constituency who don't have internet I said no I have to provide free internet and there are so many areas in my constituency that has free internet just wake up and browse pick your phone pick your laptop and browse the young people are thinking about people who can connect them to the world yeah They want to be part of that network. They are not interested in who went and stood where and did what. No. Who what is happening now? Where is the world going in the next 10 years? How do I be part of that? That is what they are interested in. And that is why I beat them. They are old, they have lost touch with the people. And if they come 10 times, I'll beat them 10 times because they are refusing to think.

SPEAKER_06 44:25

And I think we are so used to being stuck in our ways.

SPEAKER_00 44:29

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 44:30

We don't think about new methods. We don't try and catch up with the world. In fact, right now we should be beating the world. You know, one thing I always say, especially in this era, is I love that AI, internet, and technology is giving Africa the chance for the first time in history to move faster than the West. Because the knowledge that they had access to, the systems that they had access to, is now available on a global scale.

SPEAKER_00 44:58

Give me a script, a movie script, and give me a week. I will create a whole movie that we'll go and and I won't even use a laptop. I will do it for my phone. And we'll go and we'll go and uh premiere it at Silverbed for people to come and watch. Yeah, just give me the script. The kind of tools that we have today in our palm, a lot of people don't know. You go on social media and say, Oh, this one is AI. That is the same thing. You are in the music industry. When C D when CD was coming to uh uh uh overthrow, if you like, yeah, cassettes. People were like, hey, when that lumba started making me oh wait, computer music. Yeah, human beings wanted to go and sit in a studio with musicians behind uh uh uh instruments, yeah, play to create music before we could listen to music. Budostager was sitting in Germany and making all the songs, yeah. Today, that the Lumba, Nana to four, or Hinaba Kisi, all the songs they did with Budostager. That's the song that we listen to. The world is not waiting for anybody, yeah, the world is moving. So I create stuff, I put it on like we say, Oh, this one is AI. Sit down and continue talking about AI. Me, I call my graphic designer, and this is my graphic designer, the way it's two noise, my very good friend. You call him, hey Rex, take this one small from here and put this one. Oh, I will do, I'm going to see, I'm going to bring my daughter from school and we'll be sitting down. One logo, three days. Another day. Right now. The other day I called him, I was teaching him how to use AI to do graphics. Oh, you were teaching him. Yes, I was teaching him. He's not sharp. No, he he doesn't understand the system where the system is moving to, and he was so excited. He said, Hey, and your mom may not. I said, Look, you have gone to school, you have learned graphics, so you understand this better than I do. Yeah, so now I'm going to teach you how to use the tools on the on on the app that you have. Now social media, yes. Now you can create better than I do, yeah. Because you have, you see, you understand the color code, you understand this. Me, I'm just doing the bookabga one. Yeah, I just self-taught. You understand it, and once you add education to anything, you are up there. Yeah, depending, it depends on your mindset. Now he's going to do amazing stuff. I was talking to Roger Court at UTV. I said, Roger, you the way you did edit and things, I've explained some things to show you. Hey, the things you will do, and he was excited, and he's ready to move faster. Yeah, we we most of our people want to still sit down and do graphic design and credit used to you. No, it's the world has gone past that one. Yeah, the world has gone past that. Why do you want to be there? Why don't you sit on a horse and go to Kumase? Why are you sitting in a car? If you don't want to you don't want to use AI, what do you want to use? Yeah, look, there is a very powerful tool that most people don't know. Go and download Notebook LM.

SPEAKER_06 47:57

Yeah, notebook LM. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

Download Notebook LM. That's wonderful. Use the premier, use the premiere version. Yeah, look, it does all my work for me. I don't have to think again. My brain is now to think about very, very important things. Yeah. I'm not going to sit behind a computer and do PowerPoint presentation and put this one here and change the no, that time is long gone. If you are still doing that, I'm telling you, you are living 20 years ago, 10 years ago. We have gone past that stage. I hear people, somebody's music, they say, Oh, this one he uses AI to make music. The music they say, do it, put it on YouTube. People go and watch, then YouTube will give you money. Yeah, YouTube never said that don't use AI. The people who are dancing didn't say they don't like AI. What is your problem? Why are you sitting home? You always complain about every new thing. You never move on.

SPEAKER_06 48:46

That's exactly it's always like that. Let's take social media as an example. Yeah, when social media came, traditional media was the biggest like enemy of social media. Yes. But guess what? If you really watch those in traditional media, the journalists and stuff who grasped social media.

SPEAKER_00 49:05

They're long gone. Yes. I have a friend who called me and said, Oh, my younger in comparison would be to Facebook. Ah, Facebook, everybody has a put it on your Facebook. Yeah. Oh, median will be in. What were you waiting for? Go and put it on your on your on your on your uh social media.

SPEAKER_06 49:24

It goes back to the same problem. We are so afraid of change. We are so stuck in our ways. Like I learned something that bust my mind when they said that it took 50 years for them to accept photography as art. So for 50 years, you couldn't copyright photography. Because as far as they are concerned, but that's lazy work. For for it to be art, someone needs to sit there with a stencil or like you know, and draw paint that is art. But you just picking this and pressing a button to capture something is not real art. But now you have photographers who are proud and letting you know what they are doing is art.

SPEAKER_00 49:58

At a point in our lives, there were some people who are called stant, stout men.

SPEAKER_06 50:02

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 50:02

Yeah, they they were the men who or women who could jump from a moving and and they'll get hurt, but they are we'll use AI to do to do that one. You're going to jump from where we have to do insurance for you before you before you come and jump. Are you to become a star for jumping? Don't jump. I can let your man jump super groc, and a man will jump. Thank you. We don't need you to jump again, and that is where the world is going. If your job or your profession is jumping, that profession is ending all. You have to find something somewhere else to jump. You know, and it is not just with this, it is with a lot of things that we do. Yeah, it's the white, the the white people developed countries, they think ahead. Elon Musk wants to take a man to live on mass, not because mass is a better place to live than earth, but because they believe that some 14 billion years to come, the sun will swallow the earth.

SPEAKER_06 50:56

14 billion. That's how far he's thinking ahead.

SPEAKER_00 51:00

And somebody said, Now you cry, how long will you live that you are thinking about 14 billion? That's how that's how some people think. Yeah, you don't have to think like that. You have to do yours. So in 14 billion years, or in 10 billion years, the earth will the sun will swallow the earth and the earth will die, or or the sun will die and and the earth will turn into ice. What are you doing about that now?

SPEAKER_06 51:25

What small parts can you play? Play that someone will play.

SPEAKER_00 51:28

So that when you die, somebody will come and continue. So that maybe one day we can move when the sun starts dying, we can move this entire planet to a new solar system. What are you doing? And between now and thousand, two thousand, one million years, there's so much technology that will come. So why don't we start now? Start working towards it. We will positively die, but we have to leave this world better than we met it. Yeah, every given time.

SPEAKER_06 51:57

I don't think most people think like that. So is it do you think it's short-sightedness? Because it's hard for most people to even think six months. Forget 14 billion, forget five-year plan, six months. Like I'll see somebody finish their salary within the first three days and say, Oh, you be won't yanda. Like that's being able to think long term.

SPEAKER_00 52:21

Yo, I I I understand them in a university, and I got my admission letter. Then I realized that I have to spend four years. Four years. The first day I went to school, I came back and said, Hey, I came for a year, that brand. But I've completed so many years ago. You understand?

SPEAKER_06 52:51

Yeah. And so many years have passed.

SPEAKER_00 52:54

So far away. Yes. I want to build a city in 10 years. And I go on social media. I mean, when I post everything, anything I post, I read comments. It helps me to do better. Those who insult, those who don't insult, those who the praise singers, I read. I have time to read. Now when I post that we are going to build a city, and by 2036, we should have a beautiful city in Gomoa. You'll find people who come and they laugh. 2036. They are just like their fathers. That's how their fathers were thinking. Their fathers never believed that we will be in 2030 today. And that's why they never bought bands. The same mindset, never pain tobens. I mean, see shallow-minded uh you are doing the same thing.

SPEAKER_06 53:45

The tradition must go on.

SPEAKER_00 53:46

You understand? I see them. They are not thinking beyond 10 years. So let's say I'm not even able to complete it in 10 years, and I die. Somebody else can some I haven't built a foundation for somebody to continue. Thank you. Look, the first day that my special developer brought the phase one scheme, the layout, and came to do a presentation. I had my whole team, everybody was there, the busy team. They were watching. Oh, we will have factories here, we'll build houses here. This place is going to be a green area. We'll have a lake here. We'll have, and everybody was excited. It was beautiful. They're watching. And here is for electricity. Here we'll do solar. We'll do this. Everybody they were watching. I was just sitting down and I was angry.

SPEAKER_07 54:31

Why?

SPEAKER_00 54:32

Because they didn't have a cemetery in there.

SPEAKER_07 54:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 54:36

How can you build a whole city without a cemetery?

SPEAKER_06 54:39

Yeah. There's no plan for to have a cemetery.

SPEAKER_00 54:42

It means that you, you, you don't know that you will die.

SPEAKER_06 54:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:45

And the thing that we are building one day we will die. Where are we going to? So I said, you know what? Everything you have done is beautiful, but take it back. Go and put a cemetery in and name it Kwame A Plus Memorial Gardens. I want people to come here and watch me that this guy, the guy who was buried here, he built this. It is more important to me than all the things that I built. We built 30 story, we built 17-story building. Yeah, no, no, no. That's not what I want. Where are we going? People must come and to why do people go to Kame Krama Museum? This here lies the man.

SPEAKER_07 55:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:16

The one who built Akusumbo Dam, the one who built Vacu, the one who built the motorway, the one, yes, it motivates you. Sometimes I go, I go there, I just go there just to go and understand the mindset of Nkroma. He knew that he won't be there some till 2020. But he built job 600. The parliament was very small, but he built the whole drop 600 that one day we're going to have a huge parliament. That is how people must be thinking. Unfortunately, some people don't think like that. People are stuck to a certain uh uh uh traditional way of doing things. I don't want to be normal, I don't want to be typical, I don't want to be conventional. Normal never has does not work, it has never worked, it will never work. Normal is going to school every day from your childhood, growing up, getting a job, getting a wife, retiring, and then your children continue the same cycle. Yeah. That is normal. Normal does not work for me.

SPEAKER_06 56:12

You know, I I did a video and I said something, and it showed me people's minds at where I mentioned a very simple fact. It's not even an opinion, a simple fact that if you invest 20 CDs a day, compound interest means that within 20 to 25 years you will be a millionaire. Like it is a fact based on the math. It's a fact, it's a fact. And a lot of comments were like, oh ho, 20 years, how can I wait that long? And I was thinking, wait, wait. But the 20 years will come no matter what. The only question is, will you be a millionaire or not or not?

SPEAKER_00 56:47

And when I advise people to go to school, I say, Do you have a degree? Are you 25 years? Say yes. You can just enter any university as a mature student, whether you want to go to Lagon, you want to go to the Gempa, you want to go to any university at 25, you can enter as a mature student. But let me give you one advice whether you spend four years in school or not, four years will come. It will come. On and on and let me say this if your prophet has told you that you will die before four years, then don't go. So I don't know, maybe your prophet has told that you are going to die. No, and then don't stress yourself. But if you'll be alive in four years, whether you go or not, the four years will come. So just go.

SPEAKER_06 57:28

Because, like as you say, you are building a city in ten years, the ten years will come whether you build the city or not.

SPEAKER_00 57:34

So there are two things that motivate me. In ten years, are we going to have a beautiful city here? Or are we going to have grass cutter living here?

SPEAKER_06 57:43

Thank you. Look at Dubai. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 57:46

Isn't that what Dubai did? It was built on a desert.

SPEAKER_06 57:49

Thank you. They forecast into the future. Yes. This is where we want to be. It will take us a long time, but we will get there.

SPEAKER_00 57:58

And that is the way we have to be thinking. Look, this country, anybody that tells me that we can't build this country, I just look at them and I laugh. We can build this country. We can build a country for the youth to find purpose for people to be proud to be in Ghana. Everybody wants to come to Ghana. We can build this country, and it will it will all start when men put power where they know the power must reside. People want to vote me in my consequences. It has become difficult for everybody. Every politician. Like you will come share rice. I will share rice with you. If you want anything you want to share, I will share more than you. I there is nobody in this country apart from my friend, my apart from two friends who will call me and say, Charlie, where are you there? You get money in the campaign, I will support you. Dr. Sledge and Jatu, Clemence Jatu, both of them. There's nobody in this country, and my friend Naneja, he bought me some motors. God bless Nanejay.

SPEAKER_06 59:28

Nice one.

SPEAKER_00 59:29

Who will come to me and I have a friend. She gave me 500 CDs. And I appreciate I look, Irama. She says, Irama is my mate at uh uh she was she was my mate when I was doing my LLB, my degree in law. Yeah. He said, Bra Kwami. If I don't do something and you win this election and I'm not part of it, I said you can just come and let's do house to house, let's talk to you. You say, no, no, no. Yeah, let me send you more. And she sent me 500 Ghana.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:03

Ah, at least it's a contribution.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:04

And I was so excited, I called her and said, Era, this is the widow's mind that Jesus Christ spoke about. And and don't think it's more. I really, really, really appreciate it. And to make sure that that money she sent me is working for the campaign. I sent 100 CDs to some of my coordinators, and I said, You have to use this one to buy data, to be sending information. Because I wanted the money to be part of the campaign. Yes, you know, but all the big men uh, this person is a big man, he has money, you know, their campaign, this one finance. There is no big man in this country that can come to me and say that NA Plus was campaign. I gave them money. Yeah, they gave my opponent money.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:44

Oh made it so bold. Like, I need to understand.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:46

They gave my opponent money. Then I got information that oh, the opponent on the election day, she has money, she's going to share. Say how much? Say 500,000 Ghana. I say 500,000 Ghana. Me, I won't share money. But as I'm talking to you now, my I'm I'm standing, I'm I'm sitting in a car with my feet on top of 3.5 million. I don't even know what to use it for. That's why after my campaign, I organized the the uh the gospel jam. I wanted to do party, like I had plenty of money to spend on my campaign. I don't need you. So in my constituency, it's not about sharing money. If you have money, come, we will show you money in 3D. And we could we could define money show you. But we'll spend that money on building new roads, yeah, on building water, on on providing uh furniture for school kids. There is no school in my constituency where kids sit on the floor. If I have to use my money, I'll use it. But if you come and you come and try that, oh then me, I'm going to buy rice and go and share rice so that I'll win it. But there are so many people who like rice, and rice will uh uh uh how do you call it, or convince them to vote for you? Me, I have rice more than you.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:55

But how do we also get the people to think like that? You know, like I'm glad you did it in your constituency. How do we magnify this to all of Ghana for people to not care about the instant benefits but think about the long-term benefits? Like instead of saying, Oh, give me 50 CDs so I vote for you, think about the person who bought the furniture.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:15

We are people living here in this achimota area. This Achimota area, boys, boys, the number of boys, the the people that live here, their level of enlightenment, the education. And you cannot wake up one day, the boys in Akimota come together and say, We are used, we are taking Richie as our MP, and that's what we expect of him. Everybody is NDC and MPP. That's my mother and my father. You are not thinking, you you don't think you're living in Akimota. You can't you can't think NDC and MPP as we think. NDC and MPP is people's businesses. Yeah, it's people's businesses and NDC and MPP, there's sensible people in NDC and MP, they like us. Me. When you go to parliament, when you go into government, the big men they like me, but they don't they can't say it. Cerplas, oh, yeah, hard guy. And it's ah Ghana, we need this in Ghana. You cry, you don't know that the big men they like the thing that you are scared to do, they like it. Yeah, everybody wants a better Ghana, but they find themselves in an area where they cannot say certain things and they are not wrong. Even God does not say everything every time.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:18

He cry speaks in parables.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:20

When David went for somebody's wife, God kept quiet. God sent Nathan, God sent Nathan to the house. When he went, Nathan didn't go and say, Hey, I'm the prophet. You, you a very fucking guy. Went and took somebody's wife, you, you are fool. No, God didn't do that. Nathan went and said, Mike, there is a man who has who is rich and has many sheep. And there's another guy who is poor with just one sheep. And the one who has many sheep, the rich man, went and took the poor man's one sheep and to cook for his guest. What do you think should happen to that guy? David said, That thing happened in my kingdom. That person must die. Nathan said, I'm sorry, but it's you. Even God is going to tell David the wrong thing that he had done for taking somebody's wife. Yeah, Pastor Corner, corner, because God knew that maybe he and David they get some one or two. You understand? So even God does not speak by heart. So these big men, they know that what Richie is doing with A on the show is good. They are doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:21

But they can't come and say it based on their position.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:25

So you, the young person that you are you who is sitting down there and refusing to think, and you are scared that you are going to do this, and you ask A plus, how did how did you gather the courage? How were you able to do it? At least the people they like it.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:40

So you should gather the courage too. And I think that is where the change will start from. You know, let's be honest, right? The the politician or the man who is thinking about being elected in the next three years is reacting to the people. He's reacting based on the fact that when he tried to stand for what was right, they ended up voting for the person who brought rice. So if we the people start to demand more, if we the people start to say, no, because you dashed us t-shirts or gave us 50 CDs or decided to buy rice for us, does not mean we are going to vote for you. We are going to vote for the person making an actual impact in our lives. Then the politicians will be forced to make impact to stay in power. Like, we keep talking about the fact that power goes where the people decide, but the people forget that they have the power. If people want to be treated better, people should treat themselves better. People should expect better and they will get better treatment. You know, I I this then I said I wasn't going to talk about it, but as you are bearing your heart out, let me also bear my heart out. There was a point in time that I was supposed to run for musical. Right? I stopped. Every time people ask me why I stopped, I give a different reason. Today, I'm going to say why I stopped. Now, for years, people kept saying, Richie, you're very intelligent. You've done so much for the music industry. You've done this, you've done that. If you are in a powerful position, you'll be able to do more for music in Ghana. For years, I said no because I don't like that kind of power. Eventually, I saw it as I need to do this for my people. So I said, okay. Now, when we started going around, they expected me to pay people to vote for me. They expected me to convince people with my money to vote for me. First of all, the job that I'm coming to take does not pay. Now you want me to use my personal money to pay people to vote for me instantly. You are turning me corrupt. Because what happens is, let's say I spend 500,000, 1 million paying people to ear the position. Now, when I get the position, the first thing I'm going to think is how do I make my money back? And the position doesn't pay. So now when any money comes from some side, I'll be thinking, how do I make the money I spent back? One, I've become corrupt. Two, if the people who I am coming to help long term are more interested in the 50 CDs, 100 CDs they will get today, are they actually going to appreciate the real help that I'll give them? And all these things made me realize that, you know, sometimes we sit there, we blame the politician, we blame politics, we blame the parties. But maybe we are the problem. Maybe us expecting this person to fund our fufu for tonight instead of thinking about the person who's going to make the next eight years better for us. It's what makes us keep choosing the wrong leaders and what pushes away the right kind of leader. Because most people will either not have the um not want to be associated with that kind of lifestyle or not have the strength to fight the system. You know, someone like you is here because you have the strength to fight the system. You saw the bad thing, you said, I will go through and change the system. So sometimes, you know, I see all the time people come online and politicians this. Politicians are corrupt. Like, for instance, we say policemen are corrupt, they're always taking bribes. Who's paying the bribe? Who's bribing the policeman? Who is bribing, like they say, schools? You have to bribe the school to get your child into school. Who's bribing them to get them into school? So if it gets to a point, we start to pick up a mirror and look in the mirror and realize that maybe if we change our behaviors, then the right kind of leaders will emerge.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:44

Yeah, I I I agree with you. I unfortunately, they will never change. Um we have to do something different. You are talking about corruption. We have to build a system. There is no perfect system, a perfect human being anywhere in the world.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:10

Anywhere. Then only if you go to America and switch off all the speed cameras, you will see Formula One.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:19

Nobody's no, there are no speed cameras. They are only doing the right thing because the cameras are watching.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:24

Because they're afraid of being cuts.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:25

Yes. So you know, here where there are no speed cameras, what do you expect? They will never change. But we have to do something different. Yeah. We have to act different. We I I don't believe that there's any MP that must not be able to take care of their people. My job was to go around, raise funds for people for emergency health care, for this, or this person is sick. We come on Facebook, donate to this Momo number. Now, government gives me common fund. I'm not out there looking for money. I'll use that common fund to solve the problems in the constituency. It's not my money. I will not spend it.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:06

But it has to start with you spending your money before it got there. I get there.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:11

The people, the people of uh, the people of Ghana have enjoyed this system for so many decades, and it's difficult to change them overnight. But gradually we have to build systems that prevent the things that we want to stop. We have to prevent it. And we can build the systems, but we need to be strong. The worst system that we have in this country is our constitution and the kind of democracy that we are practicing. Yeah. We will never develop. With this constitution and this democracy, we will never develop. The only thing we'll do is that people will come to Ghana in December, then we'll have the 30 December, then they will dance at polo and they'll say, oh, Ghana is sweet, too, then they'll go, but we will never develop.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:55

So let me ask you this question. If you had the power to change the constituency right now, what are the first three things you would change in the Constitution?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:01

In the constitution. Yeah. I will give a lot of power to the National Development Planning Commission instead of giving the power to the politician. So that the National Development Planning Commission will develop a blueprint for Ghana that we will all follow. It doesn't only start with infrastructure, but it starts with the mindset of the people. And so the National Development Planning Commission must have a say in basic education. You have to develop a kind of education that would help the country develop in the future. That is one. Number two, I will reduce, I remove term limits from the constitution. No country in this world has developed with this kind of uh democracy where every four years, uh after eight years, you can't contest another election. Since 1992, one thing that we have done is that every every every government performs in its first four years. And then because the incentive to perform is the next election. And after they perform and win the next election, they stop performing because there is no incentive to perform again. And so if you if you that is why every government loses election after eight years, uh immediately you are when they are going for their eight years, they know that they're not coming. The president knows that he's not contesting again. Any country that that will develop, there must be an incentive to perform because they know that they are going to contest in the next election. In Ghana, if you are not performing, people vote against you. For instance, if Akufadu had voted, I could uh uh contested in the last election, there was no way he was going to win. And so this this four-year, eight-year ten is destroying this country. There is no country, there is not a single example of any country in the history of this world that has developed with this democracy. Not even America. America never had term limits uh in 150 years. Okay, they only had term limits in 1951 after they introduced the 22nd amendment. That is when they introduced term limits. You see that there were so many presidents who stepped down after eight years. It was not law, it was just a tradition that they embraced because somebody uh stepped down after eight years and it became a tradition. But the law itself was uh uh the 22nd amendment, and they only introduced that after they had industrialized, after they had built a whole uh their country, then they introduced this in the UK. In in less than in about 10 years, there's there's been so many uh uh uh uh government uh uh prime ministers that have come and gone. It started with um it started with uh David Cameron, it came to uh Theresa May, it came to uh uh uh Boris, uh it came to Boris Johnson, it came to I think there was one before Boris Johnson, it it came to Lestrauss, it came to uh Rashisunak, it has gone on and on. Every time there is change in Prime Minister, yeah. Somebody was prime minister for about three months or so, a couple of months, and then she had to leave. Can you do that in Ghana? Why isn't it affecting the assess the economy? Why isn't it affecting their nation because they have already built? They can experiment all over the world.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:56

Everything is well structured.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:57

If you want to change government in Ghana every two years, every three months, this whole country, this whole system will collapse.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:05

Democracy is not a one size fit all kind of stuff, it has to be tailored, considering people's culture, people's history, and people's level of development. You can't just wake up and give everybody the same democracy. The democracy in Ghana will not work in Burkina Faso. What is there now? That is their democracy.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:23

There's no one size fit all. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:25

And that is the problem that we're having. And if I am president, if I have the power to change anything in the constitution, I'll remove term limits. Also, I would change the part of the constitution that says as far as practicable, every government shah continue projects and uh programs of the previous government. That is in the uh uh uh uh that is in I think article uh uh chapter six of the uh of the constitution, also I'm not too sure. Uh you can add as far as practicable to SHA, then it becomes uh uh okay. Then it becomes uh how do you call it? You give you leave it in the hands of the of the leaders to decide.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:06

To decide when it's practicable, yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:09

It has to be that the National Development Planning Commission will develop a blueprint for the country, and every government has to follow.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:19

Okay, I actually thought you were going to say that they shouldn't continue.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:22

So every government must follow. This is the blueprint. Yes, if you like, change the president every morning, it doesn't matter. This is our blueprint, this is where we are from, this is where we are going, and everybody must follow. Simple.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:35

100%. What will it actually take to make these changes in the constitution?

SPEAKER_00 1:15:40

It would take me and you. There are some uh there are some clauses in the constitution that are entrenched clauses, and the constitution is very clear on how to change entrenched clauses. You need to go through a referendum, it has to come to parliament, it's a whole process because the freemas were very smart, they didn't want us to be able to touch certain laws easily. Just like that. You need a certain majority to ensure that yes, people really, really want to do that, and that is the reason why sorry, um, the reason why they made it like that. So it takes you and I. We have to know our power. We have to we have to test the law through the Supreme Court, through uh campaigns that people uh who didn't who wanted to be gay and they wanted to be open and they wanted to legalize it. They started, it took so many years. One day in their countries, gay and uh uh marriages were legal, and those who refused to register them were rather breaking the law. Everything that you want to do has to start from somewhere. You have to agitate, you have to demonstrate. That's where the law allows you to demonstrate. These are things that we have to do, we have to know our power, and we have to get out there and take advantage of it and do it.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:50

But do you think people actually understand? Because you see, I'm listening to the points that you are making, and there's so much logic in it. But do you think people will understand the logic and not take it from an emotional point? Let's say, for instance, when you talk about you removing time limits, right? It's perfect sense. If somebody is being able to run the country effectively, why not allow them? But don't you think this would be seen as a partisan thing where people will feel, oh, why you be a yeah? You know, we have that mentality in Ghana. It's like even award shows, you know, oh, give this person three, this give this person two. Nobody should take too much. It's like I it's hard to see very wealthy people in Ghana because it's like people, but you mentioned something, and that's why I asked you how will you change the constitution?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:35

Black star.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:36

Mikra, I want to play. I used to be a keeper.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:38

Do we care about you?

SPEAKER_06 1:17:40

But you see, you mentioned something, and that's why I asked how would we change the constitution in in developing a country, you don't need everybody's opinion. So then whose opinion do we need?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:48

Those who don't worry, let them say whatever they want to say. Okay, do what you have to do, leave it like that. Don't stress people, and there are so many people who are thinking like us. Let's go out there and look for those ones, those who agree with us, it's fine.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:03

Find the like-minded people, yes, yes, it's fine.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:06

If I I don't even believe that everybody must be part of governance. I don't believe that. Why must everybody have a say in governance? There are some people we have to make decisions for them. Okay, so my constituents, everybody should come to parliament. Why did they choose me? One person must go and represent them. So if one person must represent them, why must everybody have a say? Why?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:30

Very true.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:31

We have 30 million people in Ghana, only 11 are playing for Blackstar. Must everybody play? Because not everybody can play football.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:38

Substitutes player, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:40

We have we have so many people in Ghana. How many are going to uh compete in the Olympics for Ghana? Yeah, we have so many people in Ghana. How many are doctors? How many are teachers? Why is that when it comes to governance, everybody must be part?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:53

Why then let me ask you because I've seen a controversial argument where somebody even said they don't think everybody should vote.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:00

I myself, I agree with them. You agree with them. You're living in your mother's house. You don't pay light bill, you don't pay water bill, you don't have a child, you're not paying school, you're not doing anything, you are in the queue going to vote because what? Yeah, you are going to vote because what?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:11

Don't you think that also contributes to the sorry to say the bad voters?

SPEAKER_00 1:19:15

Because you have a lot of people who are so that person is giving him money because you don't have any problem. Yeah, stand in the queue. If not for 10 gan or 20, what are you doing inside that queue? Yeah. If you have an issue and you believe that the person's campaign message is going to solve that issue, nobody will give you money to go.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:33

You believe in what you are going to vote for. So then, if if you had your way, how would we determine who has the right to vote versus who shouldn't have the right in America?

SPEAKER_00 1:19:42

Everybody has the right to vote, but the electoral college will decide.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:46

Yes. And everybody, yes, that's why we have the popular vote. That one is there. And I will give you an assignment. I want us to discuss this. You talk about the the the electoral America. You can win the popular vote, like Hillary, uh Hillary uh Clinton, but the Electoral College will decide who becomes the president.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:05

Interesting. Yes. And these are things that's something I need to research on. I didn't do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:11

I'm not giving it to you for free. So everybody will go and vote. But what are you bringing to the table?

SPEAKER_07 1:20:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:20

It determines who becomes president. This state, the state of Florida, what do they bring to that the country, America? How many uh uh uh electoral votes do they have? It determines who becomes president, not because everybody got up and went and voted for somebody. No.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:35

And that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:37

That makes sense because sometimes you know, voting becomes, sorry to say, a bit unfair because everybody carries the same weight. So the person who spent four years researching, documenting things, making a practical, logical decision carries the same weight as somebody who just said, ah, today's voting, let me go and vote.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:57

I mean, I use my money to build roads to pay people in school. Then election day say, Yeah, we are we are all going to make the same decision. Yeah, you two are you are not paying school fees, you are living your mother's, you're not like it does this. This one doesn't make sense. People must, you see, if you ask me, I believe that we have to select a group of people who are going to run this country for 20 years. Nobody should ask them any questions. We have given the country.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:22

See, that sounds good. But would it work? When I say would it work, not would the people be able to run it? Would the rest of the people understand that?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:29

That's what's in China. China does not care about the rest of the people. All they do for the rest of the people is to better their lives. So when you go to China, when you go to Saudi Arabia, it's the king. Yeah, you marry, they give you money, they give you house, they give you you as a Saudi uh uh national, you're enjoying a lot. That is what the rest of people must get. You go to UAE, the rest of the people are enjoying. They don't care whether the king is riding in a gold-plated uh private jet, they don't care. Okay, yeah. So this place, the reason why the rest of people don't agree is that the political leaders are greedy. They want to bath in the air when the tap is not flowing on the ground. Yeah, so the rest of the people won't be happy with you.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:05

If I had my three square meals, I don't mind if you are in your mindset.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:09

Look, the king of England had a uh dinner in France and it cost over 600,000 euros. The people of England are not angry. No, they are not. Are they complaining?

SPEAKER_06 1:22:20

No, they are okay, they're okay in their lives.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:23

Go to China, go to in every developed country, a country, every developed country, anywhere in the world, the leaders are rich. The countries are richer, the people are okay. Yeah, it is only in Africa where the leaders become rich, the countries become poor, and the people become poorer. Yeah, there is nothing wrong with being rich as a leader. Look, when you do the right thing, you make so much money.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:47

I mean, it's like a CEO. If your CEO is making is getting$500,000 a month and you are getting enough of a salary, you're getting your benefits, you are cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:57

Go to Wall Street, all the big CEOs, yeah, and check their their network. Huge. Elon Musk, what how much is Tesla paying him? They want to make him a trillion year? Yeah. The company must it must develop. So if I am developing Gomorrah, I am building an industrial park, I'm building a whole in industrial city. I want to build a port in Gomorrah. Who and the people are working everywhere. Who cares about me driving a Rolls Royce? Who cares? But today, my roads are bad. I buy a phantom, I drive on that road.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:26

I'm mad. I remember I saw a CEO, you this example, I'll give it. He's my friend. I'll go take that shoe. But I have to ask you this question, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:23:34

This is the last question.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:35

This is the last question.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:37

I have to ask you this question. You've given so many insightful things, so many wonderful ideas. But the question is, will you ever be ready to execute it? Would you be ready to ever be president of Ghana?

SPEAKER_00 1:23:49

There's one thing I've never been. Desperate. I just sleep, I wake up and I work towards an opportunity. Instead of an opportunity knocking at me, not be ready. I'm always ready. And and I'm not desperate because I believe in the in the right time. And the right time will definitely come. I'm working hard and and I don't want to campaign and tell people that look at me. I can do this. I can do no. I want them to, I want to tell them, look, I did this, I did that, I did this. And you vote for me, we are going to continue by doing this. I don't want to promise, I don't want to speak to I would I don't want to speak. I want to I want to show them action of our words.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:28

Yes. I like that. Do something for me. Look in that camera right there. Imagine that young boy or that young girl who has ideas, who could make a change, who has a voice, but is afraid to walk down that path. What advice can you give them to give them the mindset to make a real difference in life?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:47

Uh I would just tell them that I came to Accra somewhere in 1998. I didn't have a family here, no education, no job. I didn't know where my next mail was going to come from. But I still came here. I used to sleep in uh in a in a chaos in Accoman Junction. I used to sleep in the ambassador studio at Accomand Junction. And I'm still here today. When I came here, I was in a military today. I have a degree, I have a law degree, I have a three master's degree, and I'm pursuing more, and I'm a member of parliament. And you were born here, you have a place to see your parents are here. You don't have any reason not to make it. You have to just decide, make a decision to use your brain. There's nothing, it's free, nobody will charge you to use it. And there's one thing that you don't ever have to do. Don't ever allow the standards of people who don't know where they grow, where they go when they sleep to decide what you want to do for yourself. Just be truthful to yourself and to your God, and always remember what your mother told you.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:04

Thank you so much. Honestly, I've always admired you. I've always, and I mean you know how my mom feels about you, but having this one-on-one conversation has taken my respects for you to another level. Thank you. Thanks so much for honoring the invitation. You're welcome. And I hope this brought you another step closer to being the mastermind you are determined and destined to be. Thank you for watching this episode. Now, the mastermind's dream is about building a community of people who have the right mindset and are ready to take their success into their own hands. So do me this wonderful favor: subscribe and share with anybody out there who you believe you want to see have the right mindset to succeed so that together we can all become the masterminds we deserve to be.