Real leaders like Mahama are forged in crisis

The current state of Ghana is worrying: inflation is rising, the cedi is fast depreciating, fuel prices keeps going up with its attendant increase in transport fares. Besides, there are no jobs for the youth to even make ends meet, and all that we see on the streets of Ghana is desperation.

There is so much hopelessness that many people have started throwing their hands up in despair, but I want to give them hope. Leaders like H.E. John Mahama are made for times like this. They are forged in times of crisis to inspire people through difficult times.

And I love the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton’s leadership which is akin to that of President John Mahama.

When, in 1915, Shackleton's expedition ship The Endurance became stuck in the ice forcing him and his crew to spend the harsh winter on a floating iceberg, he insisted that every man continue with his regular responsibilities.

The sailors were tasked with cleaning decks, scientists with gathering specimens, and other men were given the task of hunting for fish. He understood that regular activities such as manual labour would help maintain order and stabilise his men during those dangerously uncertain period.

Shackleton's goal on The Endurance changed from exploration to survival throughout that long, gloomy winter as a result of his continual response to shifting conditions.

During those long, dark winter on The Endurance, Shackleton constantly responded to changing circumstances, he shifted his mission from exploration to survival. When the ship was no longer habitable, he instructed his men to build a camp on the ice.

And when he finally got his team to an uninhabited island, where he knew there was no chance of outside rescue, he and a small group of his men, sailed one of the three lifeboats 800 miles to another island, where he knew he could find help.

Four months and three thwarted rescue attempts later, Shackleton finally arrived back to the original island to the rest of his team. They were all alive, and he brought them home safely.

This is the kind of daring leadership H.E. John Dramani Mahama wants to bring to the people of Ghana in his second term as president in this recklessly turbulent moment of our dear nation. Let us, therefore, give him the votes on December 7, and he will do the job.

The time to spread the good news about JDM is now! As Peter Tosh will say, it is about time to recognise more of his qualities.

Anthony Obeng Afrane