Country Profile: Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Design Thinking

This country profile focuses on how educational conditions can be changed in order to improve accessibility and quality of training, further addressing challenges like poverty and unemployment rates in Ghana. The profile discusses the biased educational reforms during the colonial period that continue to hamper the society on a different level, be it education or training. The profile also highlights the innovative model design of microfinancing structure for education and its response with respect to sociological aspects.

RUNNING HEAD: COUNTRY PROFILE 1
Country Profile: Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking,
and Design Thinking
Student Name
Student Code
Name of the Professor
Sociology
Date

COUNTRY PROFILE 2
Table of Contents
Development profile of Ghana.................................................................................................3
Research Problem Statement...................................................................................................3
Central Questions....................................................................................................................3
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................4
Innovative Model Design: Microfinancing structure for education.....................................................5
Response with respect to sociological aspects....................................................................................6
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................6
References...............................................................................................................................8

COUNTRY PROFILE 3
Development profile of Ghana
In March 2007, Ghana completed the first 50 years of its independence since the colonial role.
However, owing to the major flaws in the colonial and post-colonial development through
African and Sub-Saharan African countries have not only created problems and destabilization in
their political and economic growth, but has caused deeper flaws and obstructions in the
education and training systems of countries like Kenya and Ghana (Nugent, 2012). Despite being
independent for over 50 years, Ghana has seen quite some struggle in achieving the desired
economic stability and has been able to make up for very little since the economic and social
transformations took place post-independence. From decolonizing authorities to failed decisions
made by the French and British colonies have led to very little revenue generation, which
continues even today due to the failed educational attempts and training systems in the country
(McKay, 2013).
Research Problem Statement
As a result of biased educational reforms during the colonial period, the same system continues
today hampering the society on a different level, be it education or training. This profile focuses
on how educational conditions can be changed in order to improve accessibility and quality of
training, further addressing challenges like poverty and unemployment rates in Ghana.
Central Questions
 How can authorities develop a sustainable model for microfinance in Ghana to increase
investments in education and training facilities?
 Is it possible to completely eradicate the superficial and biased educational system that
has its prevalence in Ghana and other African countries for years?

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 How can microfinance investments transform the educational and training prospects for
those living in Ghana?
Introduction
Even after practicing democracy, African people are still involved with superficial educational
systems, making it difficult for them land quality jobs after adequate and professional training.
This, in turn, leads to poverty and unemployment that is prevalent in most parts of the African
region. To promote political and economic interests of colonizers, education systems and
resource allocation had seen a poor distribution, causes greater stability problems in economic
growth (Martins, 2013). Also, the French introduced the Assimilation educational system where
education was provided to Africans in order to make them a part of the French culture and to
gain support from the poor. But the system continues, causing problems for Africans to receive
the right kind of education that can help them fetch jobs and apply creative and innovative
thought processes to their workplaces or other businesses within the country. There are problems
with the educational system of Ghana where the lack of R&D is unable to train citizens into good
jobs and their inabilities to not think and critically analyze is leading to further problems in the
way education and technology are utilized and accessed (Jerven, 2013). Therefore, a country like
Ghana not only needs to bring reforms into the education system but also get involved with
micro-financing systems and research and development investments to ensure that the right kinds
of educational facilities reach the people of Ghana to combat educational and poverty issues in
the region.

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Innovative Model Design: Microfinancing structure for education
Created by: Author
InvestinginhumancapitalTechnologyEducationalinsitutionsImprovementingovernmentpoliciesIdentifybusinessesthatpromotecreativemodelsofmicrofinanceIdentifyassociatedissuesthathinderaccesstoeducationPrivateinvestmentGovernmentAidTraditionalInvestmentESGfactorsanalysingeducationFinancialriskmamagementtoimproveinvestmentsShareholderenagagemnttopromoteeducationalinvestmentsImpactInvestmentThematic(considetingothersocio-economicreasonsthatcontributetotheissue)Envirnonemntimpct(impact-basedfinancialtrade-offs)VenturephilanthrophyIncreasedfundswithreturnsfromsupportandguidancebyinvestors

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Response with respect to sociological aspects
The concept of education in Sociology has inspired the above innovative and creative model to
restructure microfinance activities and capabilities to reform education and training systems in
Ghana. The role of education following the ability to improve research and development
strategies to eradicate poverty and employment has been highlighted by sociologists (Viterna and
Robertson, 2015). From a sociological perspective, the education system in Ghana needs drastic
reforms for its improvement of quality education, which will equip and train children and
adolescents into critical analysis and creative thinking required to put economic growth in
motion. The main reason for poor training and irrelevant educational systems is that people in
such countries are not educated and trained to think about what is good and not, or differentiate
between what is required and what is not. The ability to critically think and go beyond the taught
educational systems must be imbibed and focused upon in order to bring a sociological change in
society (Lentz, 2010).
Conclusion
Improving microfinance models and strategies to increase investments into educational and
training facilities can provide social closure to Ghana to an extent. The associated innovative
model and sociological concept to reform the educational and training policies in Ghana will
ensure that whatever people learn are been put to use only for their advantage and privilege,
reducing the control of authorities’ power and decision-making. Because providing a social
advantage to societies is not an easy and straightforward task, an innovative model and creative
strategy to identify the root causes such as problems with micro-financing structure that create

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obstacles in education, training and R&D investment must be resolved first. Investments are
required first to be able to develop appropriate educational strategies and reforms in the country.

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References
Nugent, P. (2012). Africa since Independence. London, New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Viterna, J. & Robertson, C. (2015). New Directions for the Sociology of Development. Annual
Review of Sociology, 41, 243-269.
Fosu, A. (2014). Growth, Inequality and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. CSAE Working Paper.
Jerven, M. (2013). Poor numbers: how we are misled by African development statistics and what
to do about it. Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press
Martins, P. (2013). Growth, employment and poverty in Africa: tales of lions and cheetahs,
unpublished background paper for World Development Report 2013. Overseas
Development Institute.
McKay, A. (2013). Growth and Poverty Reduction in Africa in the Last Two Decades :Evidence
from an AERC Growth-Poverty Project. Journal of African Economies, 22(1), 49-76.
Lentz, C. (2010). The Time When PoliticsCame: Ghana's Decolonisation from the Perspective of
a Rural Periphery. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 20(2).