The Ghanaian Perspective: Opinion Articles on Current Issues
Economy, tribal politics
At the height of colonial rule, several countries struggling for independence found it hard to break free from their colonial masters until Ghana crossed the magic Rubicon of becoming the first country in Africa to attain political independence.
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Though the success of Ghana was attributed to several political economy factors in the 50s, it cannot be denied that the most dominant factor for Ghana’s success was, without doubt, the determination and zeal of its first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
As argued by some sections of the Ghanaian population, independence may have come eventually, but it would not have come as quickly without the militant determination of Nkrumah and the cooperation of Ghanaians in the 50s.
Nkrumah needed first-class Ghanaians to leverage independence and development. The character of the people of Ghana in the 50s played a major role in ensuring that.
Disciplined
Without doubt, the current crop of Ghanaians is not as disciplined as their forebears and cannot support any President to achieve his vision for the nation.
The Ghanaian citizen in the 50s was the standard citizen of every nation and many people on the African continent looked to Ghana for political, economic, social and legal inspiration.
The reputation of Ghana as the Black Star of Africa made Ghanaians a peaceful people, good-mannered and hard-working people capable of leading the world in all areas of life.
In fact, not only were the British hypnotised by the moral and intellectual competence of Ghanaians, they envied Ghana for this innate strength.
The British knew that the Ghanaian was a different kind of black man. He was endowed with a special progressive mentality that could not be seen even in civilised Great Britain.
Little wonder that in the writings of British sages on African colonialism, Ghana was repeatedly referred to as the Model Colony of Africa. More than a model colony, the British believed the Ghanaian was a superman of black extraction.
Truly, it came as a shock to the Governor when the rioting and massive demonstrations began. The Akans, particularly the Ashantis and Fantes, as well as the Ga- Adangbes contributed immensely to the liberation struggle.
Unlike other countries struggling for independence in Africa, the ethnic groups were greatly divided and didn’t cooperate with each other.
The capacity of Ghanaians in the 50s to coexist peacefully with one another proved to be the greatest strength of Ghana and Africa.
Coups
Regrettably, however, this strength was weakened by the military coups in Ghana after gaining independence. The coups destabilised the democratic order and gains made in Ghana by previous leaders.
The military became our Achilles tendon used to weaken the social strength of Ghana. Even though the coups came from the unhappiness of army officers over rising economic distress considered justified for staging coups, ambitious factors of coup makers were also important determinants.
In my view, most of the revolutions had little impact on the social structure of Ghana.
Colonial
Colonial rule profited from the divide-and-rule tactics instituted in Africa. The ethnic conflicts that were going on in Nigeria and Sierra Leone slowed their progress toward independence.
In fact, the ethnic unity in Ghana was so strong that tribal politics was discounted by all.
If Ghana would attain economic independence, this unity would once again prove an invaluable asset in our struggle for economic liberation.
Another significant lesson we can draw from Nkrumah and the quality citizenry of Ghana in the 50s is that “they relied on a good education as the source of national strength.”
A well-educated and disciplined people were a true asset to every leader.
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The writer is with the Department of Economics,
GIMPA Business School.
