For far too long, Ghana’s educational curriculum—particularly in Social Studies—has offered a comfortable excuse for our national stagnation: colonialism.
We are told, again and again, that our current developmental struggles are the lingering effects of colonisation.
This narrative, though historically valid to some extent, is dangerously incomplete.
It blinds us to the deeper truth—that Ghanaians themselves must take responsibility for both the past and the present failures of our nation.
The reality is sobering: Ghana was colonised not merely because Europeans were stronger, but because our ancestors failed to defend what was rightfully theirs.
Our own enemies
If the white man had the curiosity to explore the seas, expand his knowledge, and chart new territories, why did Africans not do the same? Was it fear?
Was it a lack of resources? Neither?
Africa is the most resource-rich continent on earth. Our land, water, gold, oil and fertile soil were the very treasures that drew outsiders here, and yet, rather than stepping beyond our comfort zone to explore, innovate and learn, we remained stagnant.
The tragedy of colonisation was not simply about Europe’s aggression—it was also about Africa’s inaction.
History repeated itself when Ghana’s own founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown.
While the CIA played a role, it was not American soldiers who stormed Ghana’s corridors of power—it was Ghanaians.
Our people, our soldiers, our politicians became the willing tools of foreign influence.
Why did we allow ourselves to be manipulated into undoing the very vision that promised independence, unity and self-reliance? Instead of learning from that history, we continue to externalise blame, ignoring our own complicity.
Our role in galamsey
The same mindset underlies Ghana’s number one social nuisance today: galamsey, or illegal mining.
We love to point fingers at the Chinese, accusing them of destroying our rivers, forests and communities. But the uncomfortable truth is this: no Chinese miner brought himself here by force.
They came because Ghanaians opened the door.
They operate because Ghanaians shield them, collaborate with them, and profit from them.
If we cannot go to China and mine their resources, why do we allow them to come here and destroy ours?
Where is the integrity of our leaders, whose responsibility it is to protect the land and people?
Where is the patriotism of the citizens who, for quick cash, trade away the very environment their children will inherit?
We envy Europe and America for their clean cities, orderly systems, and high standards of living.
Yet, we fail to understand that they did not achieve this by accident or solely through politics.
They achieved it because they had a clear vision of where they wanted to go, and they worked—tirelessly, collectively, and sometimes ruthlessly—until they got there.
Meanwhile, we fantasise about “greener pastures” abroad while neglecting to cultivate our own.
Way forward
We must accept a painful truth: Ghana cannot be fixed in four years, or eight years, or even 16 years of any political party’s rule.
Real transformation cannot come from politics alone—it must be born from the attitude of the people.
If a galamseyer believes there is nothing wrong with poisoning rivers for profit, if citizens think littering the streets or carelessly destroying the environment is acceptable, then our problem is not policy—it is mindset.
And mindset cannot be changed overnight. It does not start with this generation, or the next, or even the one after that.
It starts with the children being born now.
We can only do so much to contain the damage of the present; some attitudes may already be too deeply entrenched.
But the new generation must be raised differently.
They must be born into a Ghana with a reformed education system and an environment that teaches them to protect, not destroy; to seek knowledge and learn; to be innovative, visionary and united; to live in harmony and peace with one another—all in pursuit of national improvement.
This education system must also instil in them the discipline to take responsibility for their ignorance, to acknowledge their mistakes, and to strive to learn from them so that they do not repeat them in the future.
This, I believe, is the only true way forward. If we are serious about building a prosperous Ghana, we must protect our younger generation and give them the proper education and training—not just in academics, but in values, responsibility and national pride.
Only then can Ghana rise, not as a shadow of what outsiders left behind, but as a nation that has rediscovered its identity and taken ownership of its destiny.
The writer is with the Istanbul Commerce University, Turkey
Email: Alhakeemal123@gmail.com
