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Uncle Ebo Whyte writes:
I once worked with a pharmaceutical company, and one of the surest ways to meet sales targets was to sell to major hospitals because they bought in large quantities and paid on time. But to do that, you first had to register as a supplier and then wait to be invited to bid whenever the hospital needed items.
After months of trying, I finally met the chief pharmacist of one big hospital. He was one of the most decent and honest men I had ever met, and he helped us register as a supplier. A week later, we received an invitation to submit our bid, and we worked hard to meet the deadline. Completed bids were to be dropped into a secure box, and no one was supposed to access them until the official opening day.
But about a week before the bids were to be opened, I received a call from a member of the procurement committee. He asked if I had “factored the committee into my pricing.” I said I thought the committee was simply looking for the best deal for the hospital.
He laughed and said, “The chief pharmacist who helped you register doesn’t like money. But the rest of us do.”
He then explained that each member of the committee controlled a category of items and chose which supplier would win it. When he mentioned the items I had bid for, I asked how he knew, since the bid box had not been opened. He laughed and said, “Really, Mr. Whyte? This is Ghana.”
Then he said, “Your prices will win you every item you bid for this time. But because you did not factor us into your pricing, this will be the last time you will ever be invited to bid.”
I thought he was joking. But I never received another invitation from that hospital until I left the pharmaceutical sector.
The second thing that must change if Ghana is to realize her fullest potential is what I call the ‘Non-System System’ (NSS).
The official system at that hospital was simple and transparent. But sitting on top of that efficient system was the Non-System System, where committee members had devised ways of manipulating the process to favour their preferred suppliers.
If you operate in Ghana, it is easy to conclude that there is no system here, that nothing works as it should. But that would be wrong. Ghana is actually a very structured country. The problem is that we run two systems at the same time: the beautiful, well-thought-out official system that public servants will outline to you, and above it, another system that we as a people have created, the Non-System System (NSS).
It is not official. Those who operate it will deny its existence. And yet it has become our default operating system in Ghana.
And if you do not play by its rules, you will be very frustrated, because nothing will work for you.
Take the filling station, for example. The official system is simple: you buy GHS100 worth of fuel, and the attendant gives you a receipt for GHS100. End of story.
But the Non-System System steps in.
You buy GHS100 worth of fuel and the attendant asks, “How much should I write on the receipt?”
So you say, “Make it GHS500.”
He writes GHS500. You tip him GHS20. You go back to the office, submit the receipt, and collect a refund for fuel you never bought. The attendant is happy. You are happy. And somewhere a boss is wondering why the company’s vehicles consume so much fuel.
Even in my own business, organising events, the Non-System System operates. It is so efficient that by the time you sell 10 tickets, the Non-System System has sold 50. The National Theatre can be full, yet the organizer can account for only 200 tickets in a 1,400-seater auditorium.
The Non-System System allows people to benefit personally from the service they are paid to offer. And no matter how tight the official system is, the Non-System System will always find a way to rig it for personal profit.
I do not know what it will take to dismantle it. But until we do, Ghana will remain a difficult country to operate in, especially for anyone who wants to play by the rules.
English
