We Buried Kofi Annan, But We Did Not Learn From Him

When Kofi Annan died on 18 August 2018, Ghana gave him a state burial fit for a king. Presidents came. The world watched. We sang, we cried, we named streets after him.

And then we went back to doing exactly what he warned us against.

That is the painful truth we must confront if we are serious about honouring Kofi Annan, the Kumasi-born boy from Mfantsipim who became the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006), the first Black African to lead the UN, and joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.

Annan was not just a diplomat. He was a teacher to the world. And like many teachers in Ghana today, his lessons are being ignored.

The Educative Lesson: Annan Was Made in a Classroom

Annan was not born in New York or Geneva. He was formed in Ghanaian classrooms, first at Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast, then at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, before continuing his studies at Macalester College in the United States and in Geneva.

What did those schools give him?
Not just certificates. They gave him discipline, languages, history, and the ability to listen before speaking.

Today, what are our schools giving our children?

We have schools without textbooks, teachers without decent accommodation, and teachers who are forced to pay one or two years' rent in advance plus an agent's movement fee, even when there is no room to move into. A teacher who cannot afford a room near his school and arrives late is not lazy. He is a victim of a system that does not value education.

Annan used to say:

"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family."

If we truly believed that, would we treat teachers the way we do?

The Critical Lesson: Ghana Has Betrayed His Example

Annan was famous for one thing above all: integrity.

He led the UN at a time of corruption scandals, war, and HIV/AIDS. He did not become rich from office. He did not use his position to build a family empire. He left office poorer in material terms, but richer in respect.

Compare that to our politics today.
In Ghana, leadership is too often seen as an opportunity for leaders to enrich themselves. We celebrate politicians who display wealth they cannot explain. We reward loudness over competence.

Annan warned us:

"Corruption is an insidious plague that has a wide range of corrosive effects on societies. It undermines democracy and the rule of law."

Have we listened?

The International Lesson: The World Also Failed Annan

But let us not blame only Ghana. The world also failed Kofi Annan.

Annan tried to reform the United Nations to make it fairer for Africa. He argued that Africa, with 54 member states, deserves a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. More than 20 years later, Africa still has no permanent seat.

Annan tried to prevent the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He called it illegal. He was ignored by powerful countries. He tried to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and the killings in Darfur. The international community arrived too late and with too little.

His greatest frustration was this: the world loves African wisdom when it is delivered in a speech, but ignores African voices when decisions are being made.

Today, we see the same pattern in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The powerful still do what they want. The UN still begs for funding. The poor still pay the price.