By Cyprian A. Kebbianyor
In 1957, Ghana became the first African country to attain independence. The struggle for freedom by the former British African colony of the Gold Coast was led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who later became his country’s first president. His great vision and enthusiasm to transform Ghana into a modern state endeared him to his people. However this dream could not come true in his lifetime as he was overthrown in 1966 and, thereafter, Ghana sank into political and economic chaos for many decades. Through the able leadership of Presidents Jerry Rawlings whose government laid a sound foundation for political discipline and John Kufour whose government has been underscoring prudent management and accountability, Ghana is once more rising from its own ashes. The country recently celebrated its 50th independence anniversary and this was and, indeed, an opportunity for many Ghanaians to reflect on many issues, foremost among them being how the events of those days have helped in shaping modern-day Ghana.
Colonialism, according to many African scholars, has never been a blessing to the continent. In many cases, the colonized only served the interest of the colonizer. Colonialism, these scholars argue, only created a master-servant relationship in which the colonized were inferior to the colonizer. In Ghana’s case, discriminations by the white colonial masters had become the rule and this unequal relationship did actually create a lot of bitterness among the Ghanaian political elite. Therefore, when the wind of change started blowing across the continent, it was bound to have an effect on the tenuous relationship between the colonizer and the colonized.
Things finally came to a head when unarmed servicemen were killed while attempting to hand in a petition to Governor Creasy in February 1948. In a situation that was already very tense due, in part, to the discrimination and the general need for self-rule, there was bound to be a lot of unrest after the killing of the servicemen. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and 5 others who became known as the “big six” were arrested for planning the unrest. Determined to free their country from foreign occupation, Nkrumah and his colleagues decided to create the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and this party became the flame bearer of the struggle for independence.
However, this unity of purpose was not going to last for a long time. Ideological differences between the “big six” led to constant bickering and a split within the party. Dr Nkrumah had wanted the slogan for the UGCC to be “self-government now” while the others preferred “self-government in the shortest possible time”. To Nkrumah this approach was not radical enough and, in his view, it would not lead to independence. He left the UGCC and formed the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) which was a more radical party. He used his party to obtain independence for his country in 1957.
While in power, the nation enjoyed a lot of prosperity, foreign and domestic reserves were healthy; cocoa prices were good and stable and, in general, the prospects for the country's future were outstanding. Taking advantage of his country’s growing foreign earnings, Nkrumah immediately embarked upon a very costly nationwide infrastructure improvement scheme. Existing roads were improved, while new ones were also built. The Accra - Tema Motorway was developed as it was considered a useful development tool. Medical services were greatly improved and expanded. Positive steps were taken towards implementing the vast and extraordinarily costly Volta River hydro-electric dam at Akosombo. Ghana boasted a $400 per capita income, putting it at par with Korea or Malaysia. Strangely, the two Asian economies are, today, too advanced for the West African country. Malaysia’s economy is five times Ghana’s economy, while South Korea’s is almost ten times bigger than the once vibrant Ghanaian economy.
50 years after, Ghana has gone through the many experiences that other African countries that gained independence from colonial masters have gone through. Like its neighbors, Ghana's post-independence history has been one of political and economic decline. Despite being mineral-rich and endowed with a good educational system, as well as an efficient civil service, Ghana also fall victim to corruption and mismanagement soon after independence and, to this date, it is still grappling with these issues.
The once thriving Ghanaian economy has fallen into ruins and Ghanaians were even jubilating when their country was admitted into the club of Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). This situation has not gone down well with many Ghanaians in the Diaspora. At a golden jubilee celebration in Toronto on March 31, 2007, Mr. Kwame Osei, an analyst with Accenture Financial in Toronto, indicated that despite the country’s apparent political stability, President John Kufour, Ghana’s current president, has not delivered on his promises. President Kufour, he said, ran on a platform of rigour, economic propriety and transparent leadership, but after more than five years in power, the country is yet to be on its feet economically.
According to Mr.Osei, President Kufour has surrounded himself with a group of people who are detached from their country’s realities. He pointed to the expansion of the Malaysian palm oil industry that has grown exponentially, claiming that the first palm seedlings that Malaysia ever had were from Ghana. He regretted that today, while Malaysia’s palm oil industry had become mechanized, Ghana’s oil palm industry was still declining as many Ghanaians were still using rudimentary production methods. Mr. Osei’s statement reflects the growing disappointment within the Ghanaian community at home and abroad. He also pointed out that tribalism was also rearing its ugly head in the country as President Kufour has surrounded himself with only people from his tribe. This, he said, was disheartening, adding that it could adversely affect the current feeling of patriotism that has gripped the country.
However, there are others who hold that Ghana has come a long way. Ms. Florence Agyemang, an economist with the Royal Bank Capital Markets in Toronto, sees some successes in Ghana 50 years after its independence. She acknowledged that at the time Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown, Ghana had a booming and prosperous economy. She attributes the slump and Ghana’s dependence on foreign aid - a donor favorite receiving more than US$1 billion annually - to the period of political instability that was orchestrated by the military. In her view, Ghana has made some great economic strides.
She points to earnings of 1 billion dollars by the cocoa industry and another billion dollars by the gold industry. She acknowledged that being part of HIPC was not glamorous, adding however that it does indicate that positive changes are being made. She also points out that World Bank statistics indicate that Ghana had a growth rate of 6% and this situation was hope-inspiring. She holds that remittances from Ghanaians abroad - an estimated US$ 2 billion was sent to Ghana by the Ghanaian Diaspora in the first quarter of 2006 - will help boost her country’s economy.
However, Mr. Osei’s portrait of Ghana, though not as bright as that of Ms. Agyemang still, gives room for hope. He believes that Ghanaians in the Diaspora have to come to the help of their country. Both of them agree that 50 years after independence, Ghana is now on the right path to reclaiming its place within Africa and the world. They argue that the African Union, a replacement of the Organization of African Unity, could have been born even before Dr. Nkurumah left power as he had in one of his landmark speeches declared that Ghana’s independence did make a lot of sense if it was not linked to that of the entire continent.
They both agree that Ghana is one of the most unequal societies in the world with the richest 10 percent accounting for close to half of the country’s assets while the bottom 40 percent earn less than a tenth of it. They agree that more than 30 percent of Ghanaians live on a dollar a day and argue that poverty is a growing problem in urban areas and this, along with youth unemployment, could constitute long-term risks for the country.
Regardless of the perspective from which we look at modern-day Ghana, we cannot but admit that this once troubled nation has made some impressive political and economic progress. After 50 years of independence, democracy is gradually taking root and the people of this resource-rich country are once more displaying some confidence not only in their leaders, but also in their political institutions. Ghana is blessed with some great potential. Some of this potential is yet to be exploited due bad political and economic policies. Like many other African countries, Ghana can move towards greater political stability and economic progress if the right decisions are made and the right people given the opportunity to make their modest contributions to ongoing development efforts.
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