Bright Future for Ghana after 50 years of Independence

INDEPENDENCE ARCH OF GHANA

By Mawutodzi K.Abissath

Ghana is celebrating her 51^st Independence Anniversary this year. In other words, 51 years ago Ghana wrenched her political independence from colonial Britain to become the first independent country in black Africa on 6^th March, 1957.

It is common knowledge that before independence Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. The struggle for the independence had not been easy at all. The independence was not granted on a silver platter. People had to shed tears and blood. Lives had to be sacrificed here and there. This explains why the first sentence uttered by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah on the even of the proclamation of independence was: “At long last, the battle has ended; and Ghana, our beloved country, is free for ever!” What battle was he talking about?

It is therefore imperative that any time we celebrate the independence anniversary of this blessed land called Ghana, we must never forget to pay tribute to our national heroes. Do you remember that on 28^th February, 1948 war veterans like Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey were gunned down like armed robbers when they went to present a petition to the Colonial Governor of the Gold Coast at the Christianborg Castle at Osu in Accra? What crime did they commit? Indeed, it was their blood that galvanised the momentum and served as catalyst for the legendary BIG SIX to go for the gold –the INDEPENDENCE. These BIG SIX who were collected and dumped in jails across the country, were they armed robbers? These are among the greatest national heroes we must pay homage to whenever we are popping Champaign and tinkling glasses for independence celebrations today. For they shed their blood for us to enjoy all the freedom we are sometimes abusing today.

On March 6^th, 2007 when Ghana was celebrating the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of her Independence, H.E. President J.A.Kufuor made a very simple but profound statement when he addressed the nation. He said, and I quote: “It is a great time to be Ghanaian!” That simple but philosophical declaration by President Kufuor can be analysed, interpreted and fashioned out into volumes by this author for posterity. Why it is a great time to be Ghanaian, one may ask?

To answer that rhetoric question, let’s take a glance at the theme for this year’s 51^st Independence Anniversary Celebration, which is: GHANA AFTER 50: LOOKING FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE. Without any stretch of imagination, it can be concluded that this theme is not only appropriate but also most thought provoking and the best at the threshold of the next 50 years of Ghana’s independence anniversary. In other words, the 51^st anniversary marks the first year of the Centenary or 100 years of Ghana’s nationhood. Because Ghanaians are human and cannot not be too sure of what the future holds in stock for them as a nation, they can only hope for the best. This is why Looking Forward into the Future with Hope is fantastically relevant.

There is this French proverb which says: “Every intelligent traveler ought to know where he is coming from and where he is going to.” After 50 years of independence, Ghanaians as intelligent people doubtlessly knew where they came from and they want to go from now on. Politically, the past 50 years had been fraught military coup d’etats that really dealt some deadly blows to the nation’s forward march towards good governance and democracy. Is this situation the nation would like to experience again in the next 50 years?

Economically, if the nation’s natural resources had been effectively and efficiently managed, would there have been any Ghanaian child who would go to bed without a meal? Would there have been any Ghanaian child denied basic education? It common place that Ghana is such a blessed land endowed with all kinds of resources including gold, diamond, bauxite, cocoa, timber, arable land, rivers, rain falls and abundant sun shine all year round. But how did we as a nation manage these resources in past 50 years? Did we allow corruption, selfishness and greed to dominate our way of doing things? In terms of human resources, Ghana is blessed with some of the best brains in Africa if not in the world as whole. One can cite the immediate past UN Secretary-General Busumuru Kofi Annan to symbolise the human resource base of Ghana. These are just a few reasons why Ghana could have done better than she did than she did in terms of socio-economic, political and cultural prosperity in the first 50 years of her independence.

Fortunately for Ghana, in last decade of the past decade or so of the past 50 years precisely from 1993 to today when democracy was allowed to operate, the country has seen tremendous improvement in the governance of the country. This is why there is abundant hope for the nation as we look forward into the future. For the past eight years Kufuor administration more improvement has been added to the previous administration especially in the area of good governance and rule of law. Here on can mention the abolishing of the criminal libel laws from the statues of Ghana.

Solid foundation has been laid for the economic take off across board. By this, I mean the various sectors of the economy including agriculture, education, health, transportation, communications, investment, tourism, foreign policies, sports and what have you? Capitation grant and school feeding programme has created opportunity for school going children to be in school and be given at least one meal free of charge. This is something we must not take for granted.

The National Health Insurance Scheme has come into being, 48% of Ghanaians are benefiting from it and it is being improved on progressively. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is gradually but steadily making taking Ghana on the Information Super High Way through the Internet. Ghana Government has a comprehensive ICT Policy already in place. Right now the Government has started establishing what is referred to as Community Information Centres (CICs) in all the 230 electoral constituencies throughout the country. This is a viable strategy that concretely ensures that ICTs are taken closer to rural people who are in majority in Ghana. First class roads, railways and ports and harbours are being constructed, or rehabilitated and expanded and extended to various parts of the country.

Above all, what makes the hope for the future more concrete and realistic is the miraculous discovery of oil in commercial quantity in the golden jubilee year in this most blessed nation on earth. The story of oil discovery in no long a fairy tale in the development history of Ghana. It is real. But a doubting Thomas may ask: Where is the proof that Ghana has discovered oil in commercial quantity?

On Monday February 25, 2008, the Government of Ghana did something which was described as unprecedented in the history of oil industry in the world. What was that? A two-day National Gas and Oil Forum was at GIMPA in Accra. That forum brought together experts in the oil industry and stakeholders to brainstorm and what was referred to as “Organic and Comprehensive National Gas Policy and Master Plan” for the oil sector in the country. If there was no oil discovered would the Government have spent tax payer’s scarce resources to embark on such a venture?

Ghanaian President Kufuor who opened that national forum on that memorable day said among other things: “… I am therefore using this occasion to invite all levels of investors in the oil and allied industries to invest in Ghana’s economy which is poised for accelerated growth.” This is the hope all well-meaning Ghanaians must hold as a torch as the 51^st Independence Anniversary Celebration 2008 leads the nation into a brighter future.