Inspire hope and confidence in our youth - Kojo Yankah

Former Member of Parliament and the founder of the African University College of Communication (AUCC), Mr Kojo Yankah has challenged the leaders on the need to inspire hope and confidence in the youth.

He said it is about time we change the perception that Ghana has not always been poor.

In a statement on the free covid-19 vaccines from Covax, he takes serious exception to the tag on Ghana as a poor country.

"We need to inspire our youth that we haven't always been poor. In my next book entitled 'Pain and Faith in Our Motherland', I mention some bitter truths: Kwame Nkrumah set up several scientific research institutes to drive our development. Food Science, Aquatic Biology, Geology and Geophysics, Industrial Standards, Marine Fisheries".

The statement further challenges the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to show prove of their establishment and how impactful these universities have been after diluting the essence of their establishment.

In Mr. Yankah's statement, he questioned the Academy of Sciences and challenged the KNUST and UCC to show and provide reasons that support the policy shift instead of providing scientific innovation and science teachers respectively to drive our nations development.

"Where is the Academy of Sciences Kwame Nkrumah established? Now we have diluted the impact the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology could have made on the country and Africa. The University of Cape Coast has to show us records and the reason for its establishment: it was set up in the early 60s as the University of Science Education to train teachers in Science, with Egyptian Engineering Professor, Dr Bakhoum as the first principal," he emphasised.

Below is the full statement:

Mr Kojo Yankah writes:

Today, Ghana has been classified as one of the poorest countries to receive vaccines from India. Very well. As a country we need to be honest with ourselves and occasionally take a step back to reflect on the foundations that were laid at our independence.

We need to inspire our youth that we haven't always been poor. In my next book entitled "Pain and Faith in Our Motherland", I mention some bitter truths: Kwame Nkrumah set up several scientific research institutes to drive our development. Food Science, Aquatic biology, Geology and Geophysics, Industrial Standards, Marine Fisheries.

At the time of his overthrow in 1966, many more research institutes were in an advanced stage of physical development: The Institute of Glass and Ceramics, the Institute of Metallurgy, the Institute of Wild Life research, the Institute for Research Development and a Centre for the Production of Scientific Instruments.

When Dr Oku Ampofo, a western trained medical officer showed interest in Herbal Medicine, Dr Kwame Nkrumah sent him to China to study Chinese Traditional Medicine, so he could establish the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine. By the time Dr Ampofo came back, Nkrumah had been kicked out of power. Dr Ampofo shelved his plans until Col Acheampong came to power in the early 70s before he set up the Manpong Centre. If as a nation, we had invested in all the research institutes, like the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine, we could now support our Health System far beyond where we are at the moment.

Where is the Academy of Sciences Kwame Nkrumah established? Now we have diluted the impact the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology could have made on the country and Africa. The University of Cape Coast has to show us records and the reason for its establishment: it was set up in the early 60s as University of Science Education to train teachers in Science, with Egyptian Engineering Professor, Dr Bakhoum as the first principal. Not only was Bakhoum deported in 1966, the name and curricula of the Cape Coast university changed dramatically. Did we have to abandon everything Kwame Nkrumah established? It is time we set Kwame Nkrumah as a benchmark and model for leadership in Africa and learn his ways. Ghana and Africa would not be beggars today if we had had the patience for him like Malaysia and Singapore did.