Some have reported that civil servants have yelled at and cursed them. In August, Rawlings chastised various government bureaucracies, including customs, immigration, the lands commission, and the telephone, water and electric companies for creating roadblocks to foreign investment. After winning the election in 1992, the president urged Ghanaians to shun products made by companies led by supporters of opposition parties. His administration also became enmeshed in high-profile lawsuits by entrepreneurs accusing his regime of unlawfully taking away their businesses. But . . . we are not going to allow practices that affect government adversely.
Businessmen have a responsibility to the state.
The dearth of foreign investment means that there are few jobs for the tens of thousands who have flocked to Ghana's cities in recent years, hoping to find jobs in the newly liberalized economy. Unemployment rates in urban areas have soared to 25 percent. And even those who have jobs must scramble to feed their families. He had to move to a neighborhood where residents lack water and electricity. Asare, with five children, sends them to school by paying fees a little at a time throughout the year.