I believe in internationalism and have realize that the current trend of populism is very divisive. The statement by the founding father of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah on the eve of Ghana's independence that "the independence of Ghana is meaningless until it is linked up to the total liberation of the whole African Continent" is a statement I strongly believe in. He said this in March 1957. In this 21st century l believe the prosperity of a nation and its citizens is meaningless until it is linked up to the total prosperity of the world and its people. An open society built on strong democracy with equal opportunity for all will surely create a secured world for ourselves and for our children. One thing that makes me worried is how populist stance is becoming attractive to some young people globally. I think populism should be condemned at all levels so that young people wouldn't emulate such stance.
During my undergraduate studies in Ghana, there were students from other countries particularly African countries who were also studying in the same university. They were considered as "foreign students". We had access to the same school facilities but the difference between the fess they have to pay was too huge and abnormal. I graduated in June 2015 and at the final year, the fees as a Ghanaian student was around 1, 100 Ghana cedis which is approximately 220 euros. The students from other countries were paying 27, 600 cedis, approximately 5,520 euros. This is insane!. My little checks was that the university fees is determined by the university council which is instituted by the government. This kind of differential treatments undermine our human values and I believe it needs a strong political commitment devoid of nationalism and populism. This issue is not just in Ghana but almost every country. Universities with the help of governments are exploiting people just because they are not nationals of that particular nation and the irony is that, they are seeking for knowledge to help the world. The annoying aspect is that some of my class mates are still in Ghana , working hard for the development of the country.
Author : Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah
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