At 69 What Is Ghana Really Celebrating?

Every 6^th of March, Ghana celebrates the day as Independence Day. This is the day Ghana gained her independence and the country recognizes this day as a special day celebrated nationwide. Independence Day celebration is not limited to only Ghana but it is celebrated in other countries who also gained their sovereignty from their colonial masters.

Whilst the day is celebrated by various countries in recognition of the struggles of their forebearers in the fight for independence and to celebrate how far they have come as independent countries, it is sad to say this is not the case for us in Ghana. There is absolutely no consensus in the historical account of Ghana’s independence struggle. This simple matter is sharply divided along political traditions, with different views, opinions and stories of how Ghana gained its independence. Whilst pro Nkrumahist pontificate that, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the chief architect and chief catalyst for Ghana’s independence, people of the United Party (UP) tradition contend with this assertion and also try to project the Big Six and in fact elevate J. B. Danquah as the man to celebrate. These controversies surrounding Ghana’s independence have not only left the majority of Ghanaians many of whom today were not born at the time of Ghana’s independence or were not fully matured to appreciate the chronology of events preceding Ghana’s independence. The vast majority of Ghanaian youth are even left dumfounded with the renditions of Ghana’s independence struggle.

However, with all the controversies surrounding Ghana’s independence, one thing is crystal clear. Nkrumah’s vision for Ghana and by extension Africa was unmatched and unparallel. Whilst Nkrumah advocated for self-governance now, his fellow countrymen thought otherwise. Whilst Nkrumah championed a united Africa his compatriots saw things differently. After 60 years of Nkrumah’s overthrow, the vast majority of African’s are beginning to see the wisdom in Nkrumah’s ideology and beginning to rally the continent of Africa behind the ideals Nkrumah espoused several years ago. As the renowned Kenyan Pan Africanist Professor Patrick Lumumba once said, ‘‘Nkrumah was right, we were wrong’’. It is therefore not flabbergasting that after several years of Nkrumah’s demise, Osagyefo is recognized as the Africa’s Man of the Millennium. This is a remarkable feast that we in Ghana should and must be proud of. Indeed, Nkrumah never dies.

As many countries in the world celebrate their independence with pride following the great transformation and successes they have chalked over the years, same cannot be said about Ghana. The dreams and vision of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to transform Ghana into developed country have perished with his demise. The factories, the infrastructure, the big projects all left to rot. Leaders after leaders after Nkrumah have not been able to match the vision of Osagyefo to transform Ghana into a model country. After Ghana was ushered into a stable democratic country under the fourth Republic, one would have thought that by now, significant progress would have been made in terms of development. With the natural resources the country is blessed with, there is absolutely no excuse for Ghana’s underdevelopment. Very unfortunately, this is the case, only the political class and those associated with them are seen to be developed whilst the rest are left to their ill-fate.

For the past years to the best of my knowledge and as far as my memory can travel with me, huge budgetary allocations are set aside for each year’s Independence Day celebration with various activities rolled out across the length and breadth of each region. These monies can better be channeled for tangible projects in the country to make life better for citizens rather than squander it for a one day’s program. As in the case of Tanzania, where the government decided to use funds for Independence Day celebration to fund infrastructure in the country.

In Ghana, every Independence Day celebration can best be described as a day for celebrating the sufferings and misery of the poor Ghanaian. Suffice to say @69, a citizen is refused medical care because of no bed syndrome and this leads to his death, @69, Ghanaians have absolutely no confidence in the political class, @69, Ghanaians have no confidence in state institutions, @69 Ghanaians cannot hold people they entrust with responsibility accountable, @69, political crimes are unpunishable whilst ordinary crimes are severely dealt with. @69, Ghana still relies on heavy imports whilst it has the resources to be self-sufficient, @69, the Agric sector is struggling whilst vast lands are left underutilized, @69 galamsey is causing havoc to farmlands and water bodies, @69, unemployment among the youth is still high, @69, cost of living still remains high.

In the very recent past, every problem in Ghana, falling cedi, high inflation, high cost of living, in fact to summarize it unbearable living conditions were attributed to Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war. Today @69 will Ghana still use cocoa and Isreal-US-Iran war as excuses for challenges the economy mighty face or the government of the day will be proactive and ensure that economy does not collapse and culminate in hardships on citizens.

The big question is at 69 what is Ghana really celebrating?

Abdul-Majeed Ayebire
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