Hurray!!! Ghana is 65, can we all joyfully sing a birthday song for Ghana? Five years after retiring if Ghana was a “Ghanaian”. Is Ghana proud of the successes chalked while in active service or is Ghana retiring home to the village to fight for a room in the family house and struggle over family properties? Big Brother Ghana at her age should be a great counselor and mentor to many young African countries after living “independently” for 65 solid years yet our dear country is now animal hunting with the young boys in the farm else there will be no food on the table….. What an accomplishment!!!
“We are a nation of sheep and someone else owns the grass”- George Carlin. This quote probably is the exact description of the current state we find ourselves as a country after gaining political independence. A “flock” probably without a “Good Shepherd”! Hungry and desperate “sheep” yet we have no “grass” and even with the little available, only a select, chosen and privileged few have access to it. Politically liberated “sheep” from the “cage” yet we can’t seem to find “grass” to eat unless we go back to the “cage” for which we fought fearlessly to leave. A flock of “sheep” wandering around at the direction and mercy of the wind… Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana??
65 years and proud of ourselves I guess…..Proud of physical brutalities in our legislative house? Proud of political intolerance? Proud of industrial strikes? Proud of its many political and juicy campaign promises? Proud of only delivering economic sermons on how to manage the economy? Proud of losing lives and properties to flood every year? Proud of the cedi breaking jail even after the Vice President personally handed the key to the IGP? Proud of fuel prices breaking the “eight”? Proud of trying to impose the e-levy at all cost? Proud of rising youth unemployment? Proud of our NABCO trainees who haven’t been paid for months? Proud of our quest to digitalize yet we still have to queue and spend several hours to get our NIA cards? Proud of data harmonization yet after registering for our Ghana card, we still have to physically visit offices of telecommunication and SSNIT to merge our data in the midst of covid? Proud of our country where fraud (“sister nie oo London” among others) is becoming the means of survival?
Today as Ghana celebrates its 65th independence, I share this piece as a young Ghanaian. I write this as a son of the country hoping to have been enjoying the fruits and labor of my dear mother Ghana by now. I write joining and asking my age mates and fellow youth if we can even afford a birthday party for our 65 year old mother Ghana. I ask my fellow youth to go into the boxes and wardrobes of our dear mother Ghana and see her belongings if we are proud of them. I ask our leaders if this is the best they can offer. I ask our forefathers if this is indeed the country they envisaged for us. I ask Ghanaian workers if they are content with the wage bill. I ask consumers of our utility if they are proud of the services being offered. I ask government communicators if they can continue to defend everything and anything the government introduces. I ask government functionaries if they are proud of their accomplishments. I ask opposition political parties what they would have done differently if they had the opportunity. I ask other politicians if they will continue to paint the government black at all times….. And then finally, I ask the Ghanaian voter if they have ever been proud of the ballot cast?
6th March presents us with a golden opportunity to have a national discourse about the future of Ghana. A great opportunity to do a self-introspection of our journey as an independent country. But the sad reality is that, social media and the traditional media have always focused on trivial issues such as plagiarized speeches of Presidents, whether Presidents exchange warm handshake with former Presidents or not, the costume, facial make ups and fashion of our first and second ladies among others.
Today, I humbly appeal to us all as a nation to change the narrative and focus on our progress as a country. Let us have an honest discussion of our socio- economic and political status as a country. Let us talk about the future we are building for our youth. Let us talk about the quality of students we are producing. Let us talk about the role of academia and media in economic liberation. Let us talk about the abuse of power and office. Let us talk about our farm produce that get rotten in the farms due to poor roads. Let us talk about communities in Ghana with no access to education, electricity, potable water among others. Let us talk about our university students of whom, a good number have no clue on what the future holds for them. Let us talk about the labor force leaving the shores of the land to secure greener pastures. Let us indeed talk about the abuse some women are being subjected to due to culture and religion. And most importantly, let us talk about our identity and values as a people.
Fellow Ghanaians, My brothers and sisters, Fellow country men and women. Indeed Ghana as a country has come a long way. Let us not overlook our successes we have chalked as a country. However, let us not be in denial of the real and hard truth facing our country today. Ghana has enjoyed a relatively stable democracy, some good investments in infrastructure, some social interventions in education and health among others. These are gains we should be proud of but we should not be deceived that all is rosy and glamourous.
For Policy and Development practitioners, what happened to vision 2020 by Chairman Rawlings? Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy I, Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II by President Kuffour? Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda I and II by Prof. Mills and President Mahama and now what is happening to the famous Ghana beyond Aid by President Akuffo-Addo … I call on development practitioners, academics, politicians, bureaucrats, Civil Society Organizations, Media among others to critically review these policy frameworks/ visions, consolidate our findings and then charter a clearer path for our nation. Let this new path be the Ghana dream. Let us think and start developing a dream for mother Ghana. A dream that will inform policies and plans. A dream that will not die with an Individual. A dream that will not exit with the ruling government.
Indeed, as I write this piece, I still have lots of hope in our potential as a country to change the narrative. This is indeed the time where research publications by academics should not be left to rot. This is indeed the time where political actors especially the Executive and Parliament must take the opportunity of a hung parliament given by Ghanaians to work together in the interest of mother Ghana. This is surely the time, to cut down on the luxury and extravagant lifestyle of the ruling class. This is surely the time to have a national discourse about a plan and vision for Ghana. This is indeed the time to celebrate success and not mediocrity. This is surely a time to forge ahead as a people irrespective of one’s political or cultural affiliation.
To the political and ruling class, this is indeed the time to think about the people for whom power, authority and resources have been entrusted in your care.
May God bless our dear country and make our nation great and strong.
Vincent Ohene-Ntow
YALI Dream
A Better Ghana
A Brighter Africa
Facebook; Kwame Ohene-Ntow
Email: vincentntow12@gmail.com
Personal Blog; mirrorofafrica.blogspot.com
The writer is a Development Practitioner and a Local Government Enthusiast. He holds a Master’s degree in Development Policy and Planning from KNUST and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Ghana Business School. He is an Alumnus of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI, RLC).
