Ghana must move away from the ’1980 economic policies’ – Samia

Samia Nkrumah

The Chairperson of the Convention People's Party, Samia Yaba Nkrumah says Ghana requires a radical shift from the current economic policies if it is to realise her father's dream of a prosperous, self-sufficient, confident nation.

She said the economic policies pursued by successive Governments since the 1980s had not helped the nation's development in any sustainable manner.

The daughter of Ghana's first President said, a paradigm shift in Government's policy orientation is the only way Ghana and the rest of the African continent can achieve true economic independence.

She said her father – Dr. Kwame Nkrumah – envisaged a united African continent consisting of self-sufficient industrialised nations that are capable of providing for the basic needs of all their citizens.

She was speaking Wednesday on Radio Universe's Inside Afrikaprogramme ahead of the Founder's Day celebrations.

Samia Nkrumah said, Ghana was still capable of realising the dreams of her father but added that the current leaders must chart a different development path.

According to her, the socio-economic conditions in the country could become worse if immediate steps were not taken to shift the country from excessive dependency on foreign aid and assistance.

She said available empirical evidence had indicated clearly that foreign aid does not necessarily engender sustainable development.

Commenting on the relevance of Dr Kwame Nkrumah's ideas for the development of contemporary Africa, Ms Nkrumah said, Nkrumaism was even more relevant today because despite gaining independence several decades ago, Ghana was still producing very little locally.

“The crux of Nkrumah's economic policy was to make Ghana productive and increase the country's manufacturing capacity because that is the only way jobs can be provided to the majority of the people,' she noted.

Controversy over Founders' Day
Commenting on the recent debate over whether her father deserved to be credited with as the Founder of Ghana, Ms Nkrumah said it was only a diversionary tactic designed to distract the country from focusing on the pertinent issues affecting the majority of the citizens.

She explained that 'it goes without saying that Kwame Nkrumah is the founder of modern Ghana'.

According to Samia Nkrumah, her father acknowledged that there were others before him but added there was no question that Osagefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah stood tall among the many great men who fought for independence.

She concluded that although, attempts have been made by Dr. Nkrumah's political opponents to discredit him, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is still loved and cherished in many countries across the African continent because, his ideas for equality and the restoration of the dignity of black African people are timeless messages that transcend borders.

Meanwhile, earlier on Inside Afrika, the South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Jeanette Ndhlovu, described Nkrumah as a role model for Africa.

According to Ms Ndlovu, South Africans have always been motivated by the ideals that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah preached for the African continent.

Source: Radio Universe