Where Does Ghana Stand; “Contributing To Issues Confronting Africa” Right Interventions For Sustainable Community Empowerment (RISCE)

From the late 15th century, Europeans and Arabs captured Africans from West , Central and Southeast Africa and kidnapped them overseas in the African slave trade . European colonization of Africa developed rapidly in the Scramble for Africa of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is widely believed that Africa had up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs before it was colonized. Following struggles for independence in many parts of the continent, as well as a weakened Europe after the Second World War , decolonization took place.

After the World War II, the process of decolonization of the African continent gathered momentum as Africans increasingly agitated for more political rights and independence. While in other parts of the continent colonial powers reluctantly and grudgingly relinquished power. In other parts, African people launched protracted struggles against the recalcitrant colonial regimes. Thus, between 1945 and 1965 a significant number of African countries gained independence from European colonial powers. Ghana became the first African country south of the Sahara to gain independence on 6 March 1957. Its independence served an inspiration to other African countries struggling against colonial rule and as a result Ghana occupied a central role in the struggle against colonial rule.

Just over a year after its independence Ghana under the leadership Kwame Nkrumah convened the first Conference of Independent African States on 15 April 1958. Amongst those countries that attended were Ghana, Ethiopia, Sudan, Liberia, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia amongst others. There were also representatives of the National Liberation Front of Algeria and the Union of Cameroonian Peoples. As at this period only eight African countries had gained independence.

The conference was an unequivocal assertion of Africa’s rejection of colonial and imperialist domination of the continent. It became the first Pan African conference to be held on the continent bringing together various African countries. Furthermore, the conference became a collective platform from which African countries sought to cooperate in the struggle against colonialism.

To further encourage and forge a common goal of fighting against colonial rule, the conference called for the observance of African Freedom Day once a year, to mark “the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.”

Africa Day is the annual commemoration on May 25 of the 1963 founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). On this day, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia . In 1991, the OAU established the African Economic Community , and in 2002 the OAU established its own successor, the African Union . The African Union, comprised of 53 member states, has brought together the continent of Africa to collectively address the challenges it has faced, such as armed conflict, climate change and poverty. However, the name and date of Africa Day has been retained as a celebration of African unity. 2012's theme of Africa Day is "Africa and the Diaspora." The New York celebration was held in New York City on May 31, 2011. In Nairobi, it was celebrated at Uhuru Recreational Park. It should also be noted that Africa Day is observed as a public holiday in only five African countries, that is, Ghana, Mali, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. However, celebrations are held in some African countries, as well as by Africans in the Diaspora.

With the founding of the UN in 1945 and its massive decolonization effort, Africa is independent. Today, the African Union boasts 53 independent member States.

This newly autonomous Africa faces massive challenges, including extreme poverty, illness, desertification, malnutrition and the awful toll taken by ongoing regional conflict. It has been a long hard struggle. And as good neighbors, the global community is there to help.

Through its unique capacities as the world’s premiere vehicle for international cooperation, the UN system plays a crucial role in coordinating assistance of all kinds “to help Africa help itself”. From promoting the development of democratic institutions, to the establishment of peace between warring nations, the UN is present on the ground supporting economic and social development and the promotion and protection of human rights.

Since the year 2000, the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which form part of the Millennium Summit Declaration, have been a key yardstick through which global development initiatives have been measured. Though 2015 is the target year for the achievement of the MDGs, the progress and transformation that has been achieved has been overshadowed by recent economic and security setbacks in various parts of the world as well as conflicts occurring in parts of Africa.

Fifteen years after the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, many African countries are still battling to put in place strategies that will address the MDGs targets which will go a long way in alleviating the plight and living conditions of the people. One of the key problems constraining Africa from achieving these goals is the way in which African governance and institutions, at various levels are constituted, structured and managed. This inhibits the ability of these structures to mobilise Africa’s human resources.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region that most needs strong international development assistance. At the 2000 UN Millennium Summit , the world leaders pledged their support to the consolidation of democracy in Africa. In the Summit Declaration a special commitment was emphasized to assist Africans in their struggle for lasting peace, poverty eradication and sustainable development, thereby bringing Africa into the mainstream of the world economy.

The situation regarding economic development, education, human rights, gender equality, health, etc., varies greatly across the regions of Africa.

Furthermore, most African nations are still suffering from foreign domination and exploitation in a different dimension which may be attributed to foreign aid.

The third world has acquired substantial amount of both internal and external debt, partly caused by foreign aid from countries in the West. The aid relationship has created a condition of economic subservience and of a master-servant relationship that could generate persistent seeking and lobbying for foreign aid through borrowing.

Foreign aid or (development assistance) is often regarded as being too much, or wasted on corrupt recipient governments despite any good intentions from donor countries. In reality, both the quantity and quality of aid have been poor and donor nations have not been held to account.

There are numerous forms of aid, from humanitarian emergency assistance, to food aid, military assistance, etc. Development aid has long been recognized as crucial to help poor developing nations grow out of poverty. However, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations in that: Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries; Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most; Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products, while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products; Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable as money can often be embezzled away.

To talk of Ghana, it seems like the governing body gloatingly seek foreign aid and are unconcerned about strengthening the domestic sphere to develop and attain complete independence from the western world, as successive governments of the nation continue to dwell developmental projects on foreign aid. The current orchestrations of the African Diaspora contradict the statement made by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah “the Black man is capable of managing his own affairs”.

Africa is fast losing its pioneers and activists of Pan-Africanism who would persistently push for the real action of Kwame Nkrumah's proclamation. While we are losing such precious people, the neocolonialist system is producing many unfaithful, coward and selfish leaders (heads of state, ministers, CEOS, governors, MPs, mayors, activists). These "leaders" cowardly dance to the tunes of western capitalist powers.

According to Allan Buah, the real development partners of Ghana and/or Africa are not the IMF, World Bank, USAID etc, but rather the sovereign Ghanaian and/or African masses and all Pan-African entities.

He further argues that many Africans today doubt the capacity, credibility and credentials of African professionals and organizations. For instance, the Ghana Football Association always opts for a non-African coach for the Ghana Black Stars, though there is some few equally competent and credible Ghanaian or even African coaches. Surprisingly, all those so called and overhyped expatriate coaches have never won an African Cup for Ghana while Ghana's four African Cups won in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982 were all proudly won by competent and credible Ghanaian coaches. Another shocking instance is the very recent action of Ghana's Parliament House of importing expensive furniture from China which have begun to break days after official usage and are causing discomfort to some MPs. Surprisingly, there are some equally competent and credible Ghanaian furniture production firms who could have been engaged to collaborate in producing the furniture in a Ghanaian way culturally designed within the so called limited time specified.

Meanwhile, the wealth of Ghanaian families is fading away as fuel hikes, labour market conditions and weak management of the economy leave families less to spend on their children at a time the country’s ability to fund social services remains hobbled by slow economic growth. Over the past five months inflation has inched up by 0.4 percent to 16.8 percent as at the end of April, while the policy rate “benchmark interest rate” has also gone up by a 100 basis points to 22 percent in an attempt by the central bank to tame inflationary pressures. At the same time, the value of the cedi has gone down by about 18 percent against the US dollar to fuel imported inflation, while government has failed to meet its revenue collection target for the first quarter of the year as Ghanaians continue to feel the recession impact and government continues to tinker around the edges.

Thousands of jobs are also being cut amidst a decline in economic growth as businesses reel under impacts of the severe energy crisis. These developments have all conspired against Ghanaian families whose purchasing power is eroding every day as policymakers struggle to gain control over management of the economy, with economic recovery a distant wish.

The poor are therefore being hit harder than the rich with the rising inflation. The worst off, however, are the pensioners and people who have lost their jobs and are unemployed. This is because the retiree or unemployed individual is relying on his/her money kept in the bank which purchasing power due to high inflation is eroding. Without the chance of benefitting from any economic growth in society, the unemployed individual is stuck with a higher cost of living without any compensation in any form.

Ghana stands tall as the “bright star” of West Africa and must take a bold step to relinquish its full capacity to take the lead in identifying its core challenges and harnessing an efficient effort through governance to end this menace.

At the cocktail party hosted by the President of Ghana, His Excellency Mr. John Dramani Mahama, for the members of Diplomatic Corps at the presidential retreat of Peduase Lodge on Wednesday, February 5, 2014; the Secretary General of the All Africa Students Union (AASU), Mr. Awaah Fred, recounted the historical role Ghana had played in the liberation of the continent from the shackle of colonialism by supporting the then liberation movements and the formation of the Organization African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU). He pointed out that the African continent is going through very challenging times with numerous conflicts occurring in many countries. These situations, in his view, pose the issues of the viabilities of the current African countries.

Africa, according to Mr. Awaah, needs to come together as a matter of urgency to be able to thwart these battles with their cohorts of dead, displaced, refugees and massive infrastructural destructions among others and to attain rapid and sustainable development. To successfully achieve this noble task, the continent must have the requisite leadership, added the Secretary General of AASU. He, therefore, calls on Ghana to revisit its history and take up the challenge to help our continent to come out of its current difficulties and take its rightful place in world affairs.

He urged the Government of Ghana and for that matter all African countries to pursue genuine reforms and democratization of education based on our socio-cultural, historical and geographical realities. Our educational systems should be able to produce not only employable graduates but future visionary, selfless and committed leaders, he concluded.

Africa must therefore take a stand to hail African values and uphold the good name of Africa through sustainable development. The “Black Man” must be independent, believing in himself and shun away from western dictatorship.

Many challenges remain, especially in the worst areas like that of health. This sector has been difficult to achieve. It is still not “for all” but rather characterized by glaring inequities among socio-economic groups and classes. Similarly, the adverse impact of climate change poses a further threat to the issue of sustainability and to the achievement of the MDGs. This also presents a significant policy challenge for a continent that faces huge energy needs to power its development and industrialization.

As a result, access to technology and financing become a must. These all call for a genuine partnership with Europe and with other actors; partnership that is not based on colonial history or competition over resources.