By Kofi Yeboah
FROM a humble beginning as a carpenter's son, Peter Cardinal Kodwo Appiah Turkson has risen through the ranks of Catholic Priesthood to assume one of the highest positions at the Vatican amidst his touting by respectable Catholic faithful across the world as the next Pope in waiting.
If that fate meets him on his priestly journey, Cardinal Turkson will become, arguably, the world's most powerful and influential religious leader and that would surely immortalise his memory.
However, looking back to about four decades, Cardinal Turkson would have dictated the writing of a different story if he had followed a childhood passion that nearly lured him out of seminary and priesthood to become a pilot and an officer of the Ghana Airforce.
Indeed, he would have entered the Ghana Airforce the same year with former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings.
With his deep love for Science, Cardinal Turkson nearly abandoned the seminary to pursue a career as a pilot because he could not come to terms with switching to the Arts, since Science was not offered at the Seminary. However, fate resigned him to priesthood on whose wings he is flying from Accra to the Vatican to assume a new assignment as the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
The decision by the carpenter's son to stay at the seminary, rather than pursue a career as a pilot, was one of five defining moments in the life of Cardinal Turkson as a priest.
The first was at a tender age of 13 when he took a firm decision to enrol at a preparatory seminary in Saltpong to begin his priestly career, much against the expectation of family relations, including his parents,?? Mr Pius Turkson and Madam Agnes Aba Turkson,??? considering his early childhood mischievous and boisterous character.
However, the seminarian training reformed that character and transformed him into a quiet, sober, humble and very respectful person.
After resisting the temptation to abandon the seminary, the third defining moment in the priestly life of Cardinal Turkson came in November 1992, when he was appointed the Archbishop of Cape Coast following the death of Archbishop John Kodwo Amissah. At that time, he was preparing to defend his doctoral thesis, and the new appointment posed a dilemma whether to defend his doctoral thesis or take up the appointment.
Considering the painstaking biblical research he had undertaken, enabling him to learn the use of the Ugaritic, Accadian, Hieroglyphics, Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek, all of which were to end abruptly with Episcopal ordination, Cardinal Turkson wished that cup should pass him by. But eventually, he sacrificed the doctorate degree for Episcopal duties.
That interruption notwithstanding, Cardinal Turkson still remains the only active Cardinal to have advanced thus far in formal scripture studies, since three other Cardinals with doctorate degrees are now retired.
The fourth defining moment in the priestly life of Cardinal Turkson came in September 2003, when Pope John Paul II named him as Cardinal, the first Ghanaian Catholic priest to have attained that feat. The elevation was commemorated with a public consistory on October 21, 2003, at St Peter's Square where he received the red biretta and the title of St Liborio. That ritual enabled him to participate in the April 2005 conclave, which elected Pope Benedict XVI into office.
The fifth and, perhaps, the most defining moment of Cardinal Turkson's priestly career is his recent appointment as the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which brings him closer to the high office of Pope.
Cardinal Turkson now has a huge responsibility of promoting justice and peace across the world, a task which the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, who is a long time friend of Cardinal Turkson dating back to 1968, believes he would measure up to using his gift of deep thinking.
Apart from being a deep thinker, as Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle assets, Cardinal Turkson's own commitment to justice and peace, which he has amply demonstrated nationally and internationally, provides yet another source of strength to overcome the challenges that his new assignment present.
In the aftermath of the 2008 general election, for instance, when the nation was on the brink of war, Cardinal Turkson was among a core of religious leaders and civil society members who played a critical role to salvage the country from political turmoil.
The Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, recalls an instance when Cardinal Turkson had to travel from Cape Coast to Accra late in the night, in the heat of the confusion that engulfed the nation after the 2008 election, to join forces with other religious leaders to intervene and ensure that peace prevailed.
The 61-year-old Ghanaian Cardinal is also expected to draw deep from his experience as the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC) and fluency in English, Italian, French, German, Hebrew and other international languages, as well as his pedigree as the church's lone non-retired Cardinal with an advanced degree in Scriptural Studies, to live up to expectation.
Cardinal Turkson was appointed Cardinal in 2003 by the late Pope John Paul II and with his new appointment into the universal church administration, he becomes the personification of Africa in Church matters and topmost African prelate in the Roman Curia.
He would be collaborating closely with the Supreme Pontiff (the Pope), in administering the Universal Church through the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican.
This will involve the promotion of justice and peace in the world in the light of the Gospel and social teaching of the Church. This responsibility spans a wide spectrum of challenges, such as social justice, the world of work, international life, social development, ethical reflection on the evolution of economic and financial systems, problems associated with the environment and the responsible use of the earth's resources.
His office also deals with a broad range of questions relating to war, disarmament, arms trade, international security, violence in all forms (terrorism, exaggerated nationalism, etc), political systems, role of Catholics in the political arena, promotion of World Day of Peace, and deepening the doctrine of dignity of the human person.
Born on October 11, 1948, Cardinal Turkson spent his childhood days at Nsuta Wassa, a small manganese mining town in the Western Region where his father worked as a carpenter. His late parents hailed from Nyanfeku Ekroful, a village near Abora Dunkwa in the Abora-Asebu-Kwamankese District of the Central Region.
At a very tender age in school at the Roman Catholic Primary School at Nsuta, young Turkson's intellectual prowess was established. He could memorise scripts for plays, passages and lengthy poems with so much ease.
He later proceeded to the Urban Council Middle School also at Nsuta where he sat for the Common Entrance Examination in Form Two and after passing, gained admission to Sekondi College.
With a hidden desire to shepherd the flock of God, Cardinal Turkson changed his mind from attending college after reading a poster at Tarkwa inviting young students wanting to be priests to enrol at a preparatory seminary at Saltpond. That was the beginning of his journey to the Vatican.
After a one-year stint at the preparatory seminary at Saltpond, Cardinal Turkson attended the St Teresa's Minor Seminary at Amisano, Elmina, where he obtained the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary and Advanced Levels from 1962 to 1969.
In 1971, Cardinal Turkson entered the St Peter's Seminary at Pedu to study Philosophy and Theology, after which the late Archbishop Amissah sent him to St Anthony-on-Hudson, a Franciscan Seminary at Rensselaer, New York, where he obtained a combined degree of Masters in Theology and Masters in Divinity.
Cardinal Turkson returned to Ghana after his studies and was ordained on July 20, 1975 at the Francis de Sales Cathedral, Cape Coast, by the late Archbishop Amissah whom he later succeeded.
He later had his Biblical Scholarship at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (1976-1980) and obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture. He returned to the Institute (1987-1992) for his doctorate degree, but had to abandon it to take up a new appointment as Archbishop of Cape Coast.
Cardinal Turkson has taught in many seminaries and educational institutions, including the St. Peter's Seminary, Pedu, the Major Seminary at Anyama in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, the University of Cape Coast and the Holy Child School In Cape Coast.
Within the Catholic tradition, Cardinal Turkson belongs to many families in the Roman Curia, including the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Supreme Committee of the Pontifical Missions Society and the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.
He has also held many offices, including Honorary President of the World Council of Religions for Peace (WCRP). Current President of the Regional Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA), immediate past Treasurer of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), immediate past President of the Ghana Chapter of Religions for Peace and current Chairman of the NPC.
As he settles down in Rome to begin his new assignment, it is the silent prayer of Ghanaians, Africans and many well-wishers the world over that he would climbed the ultimate throne of glory at the Vatican.
Friday, January 22, 2010
GOVERNMENT RATING HIGH (Front page) 08-01-10
A cross-section of people and a number of recognised bodies in Accra yesterday scored high marks for the Mills administration in the areas of the economy, education and security after one year in office.
However, they conceded that a lot more needed to be done in the areas of consolidating peace, promoting business, providing infrastructure and improving the general conditions of workers.
A security analyst, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, noted that the first year of the Mills administration witnessed a remarkable improvement in the fight against violent crimes, but not in the search for peace, reports Kofi Yeboah.
In an interview, Mr Bombande stressed the need for the police and other security agencies to upscale their strategy in order to sustain the gains made and called for a more proactive approach to improve on peace interventions.
"Peace and security are mutually influential and are truly integrated, and yet, they are not the same thing," he remarked, as he shared some thoughts with the Daily Graphic on the performance of the Mills administration regarding national security in 2009.
Mr Bombande said although security could not be put in a time frame, there had been a remarkable improvement and progress in combating violent crime, such as armed robbery.
He said the achievement was due to the more proactive approach adopted by the police and the military, an improvement on their capacity for rapid deployment and the reward package instituted by the police, among other factors.
Although he admitted that there had been a few instances of violent crime of very disturbing proportions in the course of the year, he pointed out that, in terms of figures, those incidents were less than what pertained the previous year.
Mr Bombande, however, indicated that the issue was not just about statistics but the psychological barrier that made people to feel safe or unsafe.
He said the challenge was how to sustain the gains made and even improve on them to ensure that the incidents of violent crime were reduced to the barest minimum.
On peace, Mr Bombande observed that peacekeeping in the country had been reduced to the level of firefighting without any initiative to promote dialogue among the factions.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) feels that some achievements were made in the area of education, reports Emmanuel Bonney.
The association said the interventions such as the provision of free exercise books, free uniforms and the 50 per cent increase in the Capitation Grant from GH¢3 to GH¢4.50 pesewas, to attract and retain pupils in school were laudable.
A Deputy General Secretary of GNAT, Mr John Nyoagbe, told the Daily Graphic that the interventions by the government would help address inequality in the system.
He said such initiatives should not be a nine-day wonder but should be sustained, adding that the real targets of the interventions should be identified for them to derive maximum benefit.
"The increase in the Capitation Grant by 50 per cent is worthy of commendation. But the issue is the time of delivering the resource is the most important thing. If the Capitation Grant comes early enough then school heads would use it to plan and implement the programme, but if it comes in the middle of the term or towards the end, then one can now guess what the money would be used for," he said.
Mr Nyoagbe said teachers and their welfare issues especially teacher shortage and how to attract and retain teachers in deprived communities, needed to be given a very serious thought.
He said the 20 per cent allowance for teachers in rural areas announced by the government should not be a platform talk but must be translated into reality else the imbalance in education delivery would remain.
On the Government's decision to revert to the three-year senior high school education, he said once the government had decided to do that it should endeavour to motivate teachers and provide the needed facilities that would enhance teaching and learning.
On the health sector, a former Director-General (D-G) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, said it was premature for any serious assessment to be done on a government’s performance within one year, reports Lucy Adoma Yeboah.
He went further to point out that it would be a bit easier if the health sector had had one minister to head the ministry for the year but not under the current situation where the ministry had two ministers within that short period.
Professor Akosa explained that if Dr George Sipah-Adjah Yankey who was first assigned the responsibility of the ministry had been given the opportunity to work for the whole year, one would have been in a better position to, at least, look at some of the policies he might have introduced.
He said unfortunately, Dr Yankey did not keep long at the Ministry of Health and also the new minister, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, had just taken over as the substantive sector minister and, therefore, no proper assessment could be done on that ministry.
Matilda Attram & Henrietta Brocke report that a section of the traders at the Agbogbloshie market raised concerns about the economy in the first year of the Mills administration, which came into office on January 7, 2009.
A provision shop owner, Mr Fred Addo, said although the economy had not been better than expected, it was manageable.
Comparing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) era to that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he stated that the difference in the increase in fuel prices and goods was not that much.
“During NPP era a carton of milk was 16 cedis and now it is 20 cedis due to inflation,” he said.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would co-operate with the government to improve on the economy for the benefit of all.
For his part, the Executive Director at the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), Dr J. L. S. Abbey, urged the government to strive towards reducing its expenditure in order to close its deficit gap currently pegged at 10.5 per cent, reports Naa Lamiley Bentil.
Last year, the government envisaged a reduction of its deficit to 9.4 per cent but it was unable to achieve that target at the end of year 2009 and that, according to Dr Abbey, could be attributed to the backlog of expenditure in the year 2008 during the electioneering.
To reverse the trend however, and set the economic on a path of recovery, Dr Abbey stated that the government must remain focus and insist on value for money in its expenditure whilst ensuring that programmes and projects which had stalled were completed to the benefit of the people.
Infrastructure projects such as roads, for instance, must be built to facilitate economic activities.
According to him, 2009 was a very difficult year for even developed economies due to the global recession and described Ghana as “a tail of two cities”.
Explaining, Dr Abbey said Ghana was caught in between two forces, in that whilst developed nations increased their spending to stimulate the economy, Ghana’s government reduced spending significantly to stabilise its economy.
From the labour front, Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho reports that the Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, has commended the government for some bold initiatives that it had taken since it took office.
One of such initiative is the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), which, according to Dr Baah, would help bring relief to most workers especially teachers in terms of they getting fair wages which would be commensurate to their work.
He also commended the government for the implementation of the Three Tier Pension Scheme, which, according to him, would enable most workers to go on pension with some dignity.
Dr Yaw Baah, however, expressed some reservations including the existing high taxes which public service workers had to pay and the current employment situation in the country.
However, they conceded that a lot more needed to be done in the areas of consolidating peace, promoting business, providing infrastructure and improving the general conditions of workers.
A security analyst, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, noted that the first year of the Mills administration witnessed a remarkable improvement in the fight against violent crimes, but not in the search for peace, reports Kofi Yeboah.
In an interview, Mr Bombande stressed the need for the police and other security agencies to upscale their strategy in order to sustain the gains made and called for a more proactive approach to improve on peace interventions.
"Peace and security are mutually influential and are truly integrated, and yet, they are not the same thing," he remarked, as he shared some thoughts with the Daily Graphic on the performance of the Mills administration regarding national security in 2009.
Mr Bombande said although security could not be put in a time frame, there had been a remarkable improvement and progress in combating violent crime, such as armed robbery.
He said the achievement was due to the more proactive approach adopted by the police and the military, an improvement on their capacity for rapid deployment and the reward package instituted by the police, among other factors.
Although he admitted that there had been a few instances of violent crime of very disturbing proportions in the course of the year, he pointed out that, in terms of figures, those incidents were less than what pertained the previous year.
Mr Bombande, however, indicated that the issue was not just about statistics but the psychological barrier that made people to feel safe or unsafe.
He said the challenge was how to sustain the gains made and even improve on them to ensure that the incidents of violent crime were reduced to the barest minimum.
On peace, Mr Bombande observed that peacekeeping in the country had been reduced to the level of firefighting without any initiative to promote dialogue among the factions.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) feels that some achievements were made in the area of education, reports Emmanuel Bonney.
The association said the interventions such as the provision of free exercise books, free uniforms and the 50 per cent increase in the Capitation Grant from GH¢3 to GH¢4.50 pesewas, to attract and retain pupils in school were laudable.
A Deputy General Secretary of GNAT, Mr John Nyoagbe, told the Daily Graphic that the interventions by the government would help address inequality in the system.
He said such initiatives should not be a nine-day wonder but should be sustained, adding that the real targets of the interventions should be identified for them to derive maximum benefit.
"The increase in the Capitation Grant by 50 per cent is worthy of commendation. But the issue is the time of delivering the resource is the most important thing. If the Capitation Grant comes early enough then school heads would use it to plan and implement the programme, but if it comes in the middle of the term or towards the end, then one can now guess what the money would be used for," he said.
Mr Nyoagbe said teachers and their welfare issues especially teacher shortage and how to attract and retain teachers in deprived communities, needed to be given a very serious thought.
He said the 20 per cent allowance for teachers in rural areas announced by the government should not be a platform talk but must be translated into reality else the imbalance in education delivery would remain.
On the Government's decision to revert to the three-year senior high school education, he said once the government had decided to do that it should endeavour to motivate teachers and provide the needed facilities that would enhance teaching and learning.
On the health sector, a former Director-General (D-G) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, said it was premature for any serious assessment to be done on a government’s performance within one year, reports Lucy Adoma Yeboah.
He went further to point out that it would be a bit easier if the health sector had had one minister to head the ministry for the year but not under the current situation where the ministry had two ministers within that short period.
Professor Akosa explained that if Dr George Sipah-Adjah Yankey who was first assigned the responsibility of the ministry had been given the opportunity to work for the whole year, one would have been in a better position to, at least, look at some of the policies he might have introduced.
He said unfortunately, Dr Yankey did not keep long at the Ministry of Health and also the new minister, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, had just taken over as the substantive sector minister and, therefore, no proper assessment could be done on that ministry.
Matilda Attram & Henrietta Brocke report that a section of the traders at the Agbogbloshie market raised concerns about the economy in the first year of the Mills administration, which came into office on January 7, 2009.
A provision shop owner, Mr Fred Addo, said although the economy had not been better than expected, it was manageable.
Comparing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) era to that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he stated that the difference in the increase in fuel prices and goods was not that much.
“During NPP era a carton of milk was 16 cedis and now it is 20 cedis due to inflation,” he said.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would co-operate with the government to improve on the economy for the benefit of all.
For his part, the Executive Director at the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), Dr J. L. S. Abbey, urged the government to strive towards reducing its expenditure in order to close its deficit gap currently pegged at 10.5 per cent, reports Naa Lamiley Bentil.
Last year, the government envisaged a reduction of its deficit to 9.4 per cent but it was unable to achieve that target at the end of year 2009 and that, according to Dr Abbey, could be attributed to the backlog of expenditure in the year 2008 during the electioneering.
To reverse the trend however, and set the economic on a path of recovery, Dr Abbey stated that the government must remain focus and insist on value for money in its expenditure whilst ensuring that programmes and projects which had stalled were completed to the benefit of the people.
Infrastructure projects such as roads, for instance, must be built to facilitate economic activities.
According to him, 2009 was a very difficult year for even developed economies due to the global recession and described Ghana as “a tail of two cities”.
Explaining, Dr Abbey said Ghana was caught in between two forces, in that whilst developed nations increased their spending to stimulate the economy, Ghana’s government reduced spending significantly to stabilise its economy.
From the labour front, Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho reports that the Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, has commended the government for some bold initiatives that it had taken since it took office.
One of such initiative is the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), which, according to Dr Baah, would help bring relief to most workers especially teachers in terms of they getting fair wages which would be commensurate to their work.
He also commended the government for the implementation of the Three Tier Pension Scheme, which, according to him, would enable most workers to go on pension with some dignity.
Dr Yaw Baah, however, expressed some reservations including the existing high taxes which public service workers had to pay and the current employment situation in the country.
I'M COMMITTED TO PEACE, JUSTICE -Cardinal Turkson (Pg 16) 04-01-10
Story: Kofi Yeboah & Daniel Nkrumah
CARDINAL Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), has expressed the commitment to work towards peace and justice on the continent as he prepares to begin a new life as the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
At a send-off dinner organised by the NPC at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Cardinal Turkson said in furtherance of that commitment, he would identify personalities who were into justice and peace on the continent to work together to achieve his objective.
He noted that justice and peace were critical to the development of society, saying that his new appointment was another opportunity to serve humanity.
The send-off dinner was attended by the clergy, leaders of political parties, academicians, media, representatives from civil society, peace ambassadors, among others.
Reflecting on his work on the NPC, Cardinal Turkson said “we tried to do what we thought we had been put together to do to safeguard the peace of the country”.
“It’s been great working with all the members.”
Cardinal Turkson stated that once the 2008 elections were over, it was time to commit time and energy to address other issues and conflicts.
The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwesi Akyem Apea-Kubi, lauded Cardinal Turkson for his commitment to the promotion of peace and also for the high level humility he had demonstrated.
He noted that Cardinal Turkson had been particular about the budget for the National Peace Council and said his concerns had been addressed in the 2010 budget.
He wished him success in his new assignment.
A member of the National Peace Council, Professor Irene Odotei, said inasmuch as the day was a great day because of the appointment of Cardinal Turkson to the position, it was also a sad day, because he was bidding farewell to the council.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor C. N. B. Tagoe, recounted the university’s association with the Cardinal, and said the university benefited from his wise counsel during his days as a member of the University Council.
He said Cardinal Turkson’s wise counsel on how to make difficult choices had been helpful.
The MP for Ningo Prampram and Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Mr E. T. Mensah, expressed the hope that Cardinal Turkson was going to shine in his new assignment.
For his part, the General Secretary of the Christian Council, Dr Fred Degbe, described Cardinal Turkson as a man who was seasoned with the Word of God and had so much experience.
Dr Emmanuel Akwettey, the Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), also recounted the immense contribution of Cardinal Turkson during the last election.
He said at a time when civil society appeared to be at its wits’ end, Cardinal Turkson played a critical role to help foster peace.
He described as “phenomenal” the unity displayed by the religious leaders during the elections.
The NPC presented gifts to the Cardinal.
CARDINAL Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), has expressed the commitment to work towards peace and justice on the continent as he prepares to begin a new life as the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
At a send-off dinner organised by the NPC at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Cardinal Turkson said in furtherance of that commitment, he would identify personalities who were into justice and peace on the continent to work together to achieve his objective.
He noted that justice and peace were critical to the development of society, saying that his new appointment was another opportunity to serve humanity.
The send-off dinner was attended by the clergy, leaders of political parties, academicians, media, representatives from civil society, peace ambassadors, among others.
Reflecting on his work on the NPC, Cardinal Turkson said “we tried to do what we thought we had been put together to do to safeguard the peace of the country”.
“It’s been great working with all the members.”
Cardinal Turkson stated that once the 2008 elections were over, it was time to commit time and energy to address other issues and conflicts.
The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwesi Akyem Apea-Kubi, lauded Cardinal Turkson for his commitment to the promotion of peace and also for the high level humility he had demonstrated.
He noted that Cardinal Turkson had been particular about the budget for the National Peace Council and said his concerns had been addressed in the 2010 budget.
He wished him success in his new assignment.
A member of the National Peace Council, Professor Irene Odotei, said inasmuch as the day was a great day because of the appointment of Cardinal Turkson to the position, it was also a sad day, because he was bidding farewell to the council.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor C. N. B. Tagoe, recounted the university’s association with the Cardinal, and said the university benefited from his wise counsel during his days as a member of the University Council.
He said Cardinal Turkson’s wise counsel on how to make difficult choices had been helpful.
The MP for Ningo Prampram and Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Mr E. T. Mensah, expressed the hope that Cardinal Turkson was going to shine in his new assignment.
For his part, the General Secretary of the Christian Council, Dr Fred Degbe, described Cardinal Turkson as a man who was seasoned with the Word of God and had so much experience.
Dr Emmanuel Akwettey, the Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), also recounted the immense contribution of Cardinal Turkson during the last election.
He said at a time when civil society appeared to be at its wits’ end, Cardinal Turkson played a critical role to help foster peace.
He described as “phenomenal” the unity displayed by the religious leaders during the elections.
The NPC presented gifts to the Cardinal.
2009, GONE WITH THE WORST? (Centre spread) 01-01-10
Story: Kofi Yeboah
EXACTLY a year by now, a thick cloud of uncertainty hung over the nation as Ghanaians anxiously awaited the results of a presidential election contested on a knife’s edge amidst the beating of war drums.
However, after emerging from that crunch election, Ghanaians heaved a little sigh of relief from both political and economic turbulence.
The challenges of delivering on the campaign promise of building "A Better Ghana" by restoring national cohesion, consolidating the fledgling democracy, reviving the ailing economy, combating armed robbery and illicit drug trafficking, creating employment opportunities for the youth in particular, keeping the national development agenda on track, among other commitments, now confront the Mills administration.
While the government admits that the going has been generally tough, considering the severe impact of the global economic recession and the bad state of the national economy which it claims to have inherited from the Kufuor administration, it is nevertheless hopeful that the coming year would be a watershed of Ghana’s economic prosperity.
That optimism is bolstered by the prospects of an oil find, which will start flowing in the last quarter of 2010, albeit in small economic measure, and a promising outlook of the agriculture sector, which the 2010 Budget has targeted as the country’s growth pole for 2010.
With these glittering rays, President Mills could afford to look deep into the tunnel and assure Ghanaians that his electoral promise to transform the economy, improve on the living conditions of the people and leave a legacy of "A Better Ghana" will surely be redeemed.
Delivering one of such assurances last October when he paid a courtesy call on the Akuapehene, Oseadeeyo Nana Addo Dankwa III, the President asked Ghanaians to remain steadfast and calm while the government continued to get its act together to put the economy on an even keel and address the challenges facing the nation.
That plea may have been accorded a warm reception, given the short period in government, but with intense pressure coming from within and outside his own party to salvage the nation from economic hardship. With Election 2012 fast approaching, and with his own ambition to go back to the electorate for the renewal of his mandate, President Mills has no other option than to hit the ground, not running as he intimated in his inaugural address last January, but sprinting in 2010.
Politics:
The political temperature within the year under review remained very high, having reached a boiling point during the last electioneering. For the first time in the country’s history, no winner emerged for the presidential election, even after a second round of voting.
It took a third round, mainly in the Tain Constituency for a winner to emerge, but with the narrowest of margins ever recorded in Ghana’s political history.
Many people can easily recall the acrimony, violence, threats and the trading of allegations that characterised the elections, but many others might not be able to envisage what would have happened if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had been declared winner of the closely contested election, or if President Kufuor had not openly declared his readiness to hand over to whoever was declared winner by the Electoral Commission (EC).
In the first instance, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would surely have done something beyond just writing a ‘Stolen Verdict’, considering the pronouncements of some of its leading members. And in the second instance, the NPP would surely have pursued various options, including a legal action to halt the declaration of the election results.
Had either of the instances prevailed, Ghanaians might be writing and telling a different story today.
The tension, violence and the acrimony that characterised Election 2008 and later replicated in the suspended elections at Akwatia and the Chereponi bye-elections were eary signals that the worst was yet to come, but in all that, the spirit of the Ghanaian prevailed.
The usual crossfire between the two major political parties – the NDC and the NPP – has remained hot since the beginning of the year, but it became more intense occasionally, such as instances when national security operatives and some government officials hunted for and retrieved official vehicles from the custody of former government officials.
That exercise, coupled with the arrest of some former government officials, particularly Messrs Kwadwo Mpiani, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng and Akwasi Osei-Adjei by the operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) generated public furore for a considerable length of time.
One historic event of great significance in the annals of Ghana and, indeed, Africa, which seemed to have doused the boiling and the highly polluted political atmosphere in the course of the year was the visit to Ghana by the first Black President of America, Barack Hussein Obama, who was accompanied by his wife, Michelle Obama, and their two daughters.
The two-day visit by the 44th American President to what the White House described as "one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa" last July, provided the basis for a brief, but rare rapprochement among President Mills, former President Kufuor and former President Rawlings as, together, they shared a breakfast table and took photographs with the American first couple.
President Obama’s visit, which was largely influenced by Ghana’s recent exemplary strides in democracy, political stability and good governance, served as a good tonic for national cohesion, but not too long afterwards, the old order of political discordant and acrimony was restored.
This time, however, the pendulum of political friction swung from inter-party (usually between NDC and NPP) to intra-party muscle-flexing, involving some big wigs of the two major political parties, sometimes threatening party unity and cohesion.
With regard to the NDC, the criticism made by Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah about the slow pace of the Mills administration in fulfilling the expectations of NDC faithful in particular and Ghanaians in general, and the reply to same by Mr Ato Ahwoi seemed to threaten party unity and cohesion.
The two leading members of the NDC may have succeeded in adding new terminologies to the country’s political lexicon, such as "Team A and Team B players" and "Pissing in and pissing out", but they may not have succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of their NDC comrades with their style of addressing what is considered to be internal party matters.
Turning the radar on the camp of the NPP, Dr Arthur Kennedy’s critical analysis of why the NPP lost the 2008 elections as captured in his book, Chasing the elephant into the bush, stirred controversy strong enough to rip the party apart.
The resurgence of rivalry between the Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyerematen camps in the contest for the flagbearship of the NPP for Election 2012 also suggested that there could be more turbulent times ahead, to which the party must brace itself.
These intra-party frictions are likely to spill over into 2010 and even intensify as the two dominant political parties prepare for their respective national delegates conference early next year to elect national executives, whose principal job definition would be to deliver victory for their respective parties in Election 2012.
One other issue that dominated media headlines in the course of the year was the scandal involving the immediate-past Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, who allegedly swept his official residence of all household effects on leaving office.
Still in the domain of the legislature, the recommendations made by the Chinery-Hesse Committee regarding the end-of-service benefits of former President Kufuor and his stewards, as well as of those of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, till today, seem to be a never-ending controversy.
The circumstances under which the recommendations were approved by Parliament have remained a mystery to date, but what perhaps, might have deepened the controversy was the decision of President Mills to constitute the Ishmael Yamson Committee to review the recommendations of the Chinery-Hesse Committee.
Economy:
Politics may have dominated national discourse within the year, but one other issue that also gained substantial prominence and was a subject of critical analysis and controversy was the state of the nation’s economy.
While the ruling NDC often painted a gloomy picture of the state of the nation’s economy it inherited from the Kufuor administration, the NPP vehemently dismissed those assertions.
For many Ghanaians and other people who cherish objectivity, the concern has not been about whose claim is wholesome, but essentially, about the increasing economic hardship and how to tackle the challenges facing the nation.
Prices of goods and services have gone up significantly in the course of the year, while it has been difficult to tame inflation. While acknowledging that the economy has been rough, the government claims to have stabilised the situation, for which reason it assures Ghanaians of good times ahead.
"Considering the huge challenges the Mills administration faced in almost one year, with inflation skyrocketing and the cedi falling freely, it has done remarkably well in respect of stabilising the economy and bringing the core economic indicators on track," the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, stated in a Christmas message to Ghanaians.
Besides the facts and figures of macro and micro-economic variables, another issue that attracted enormous public attention was what might be termed “petrol politics’. There was hullabaloo as to whether or not President Mills had made a campaign promise to reduce the price of petroleum products "drastically" and the question of why he did not do so upon assumption of office.
Social:
To a large extent, the social front was generally quiet, except in a few areas, particularly the education sector, which was draped in controversy over whether or not to revert the duration of the senior secondary school programme from four to three years. Whereas the government made a preference for a three-year programme, the opposition NPP defended the four-year duration.
Opinion on the issue was intensely divided, even among the academia and such teaching bodies as the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT).
A National Education Forum held in Accra last May on the issue failed to yield consensus. If anything at all, it only succeeded in giving vent to the flaring emotions and the effusions of participants.
In the end, the advocates of a four-year duration had their say, but the government had its way as it subsequently announced its decision to revert to the three-year programme in line with a commitment made in the NDC manifesto.
One historical moment that graced the year was the centenary birthday celebration of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The occasion, which fell on September 21, was declared as a national holiday, but the decision by President Mills to declare it as Founder’s Day sparked off controversy as some critics of the Danquah-Busia stock contested the claim that Nkrumah was the founder of Ghana.
The critics contended that Ghana’s independence was orchestrated by many nationalists, all of whom ought to be honoured as is normally done for a victorious relay team, instead of just for one person, who was just the anchor man of a relay team to breast the tape. The argument only abated after the celebration.
The decision by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to eject an estimated 45,000 residents of Sodom and Gommorah also gained much prominence during the year as AMA officials, on one hand, and residents of the shanty town and human rights advocates, on the other hand, engaged in verbal crossfire.
Apart from gaining notoriety as a den of armed robbers, Sodom and Gommorah was also considered detrimental to the development and beautification of Accra, particularly the multi-million dollar Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP). In the end, the powers that be restrained the AMA from carrying out the ejection exercise.
Conflict & crime:
Although the country was relatively peaceful during the year, the people of Bawku did not have a feel of such an atmosphere as the intractable conflict there confined the residents in their homes for long hours under the intermittent curfews imposed on the town.
That followed period skirmishes in the town, which led to the death of some residents and destruction of properties.
The activities of armed robbers also continued to incite fear in the general public. In some instances, the armed robbers were so daring to have taken the fight to the police, attacking and killing some police personnel as they carried out their operations. The police responded to the challenge with a “shoot-to-kill” posture, gunning down some armed robbers in a few encounters to prove their firepower superiority.
Although the new posture of the police was extensively condemned by human rights advocates, they maintained their resolve, and with the support of the public, took the fight to the armed robbers.
One major issue that cannot elude the memory of Ghanaians in 2009 was the increased involvement of the youth in cyber crime, popularly called ‘Sakawa’. The resort to occultism and other spiritual means by the youth involved in ‘Sakawa’ in their quest to get rich quick, generated widespread furore among the general public.
Sports:
Sports made a huge impact within the year under review, for both bad and good reasons. The alleged scandal of financial misappropriation that rocked former Sports Minister, Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka, leading to his subsequent resignation from office, dominated the dark pages of Ghana sports in the early part of the year.
The alleged scandal proved to be a test case for President Mills’ resolve to be hostile to corruption, particularly by not providing cover for his appointees found to be corrupt. As to whether the President passed the test in the case of Alhaji Muntaka is a matter of opinion for all Ghanaians.
Apart from Alhaji Muntaka’s alleged scandal, the country also suffered some setbacks in sports, with two of its world boxing champions – Joshua Clottey and Joseph Agbeko – losing their titles.
On the flipside, however, there were historic and glorious moments to savour as the national Under-20 team, the Black Satellites, won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup trophy in Egypt last October, making Ghana the first African country to achieve that feat. Earlier in the year, the Black Satellites had also emerged as African champions in the CAF Under-20 tournament.
Just around the same period that the Black Satellites won the Under-20 World Cup, the senior national team, the Black Stars, also made history by becoming the first African country to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa and, significantly, the second time of qualifying for the tournament, after their maiden qualification for Germany 2006.
Qualifying for South Africa 2010 also meant a qualification for the Black Stars for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Angola this month, January.
The achievements of the Black Satellites and the Black Stars have set the tone for great expectations next year as the Black Stars in particular seek a fifth Africa Cup glory in Angola and thereafter, lead an African onslaught on the World Cup in South Africa next June.
Such also will be the high expectations in all endeavours, which Ghanaians would take into the new year, hoping that 2010 would, indeed, be a watershed of individual and national economic prosperity.
EXACTLY a year by now, a thick cloud of uncertainty hung over the nation as Ghanaians anxiously awaited the results of a presidential election contested on a knife’s edge amidst the beating of war drums.
However, after emerging from that crunch election, Ghanaians heaved a little sigh of relief from both political and economic turbulence.
The challenges of delivering on the campaign promise of building "A Better Ghana" by restoring national cohesion, consolidating the fledgling democracy, reviving the ailing economy, combating armed robbery and illicit drug trafficking, creating employment opportunities for the youth in particular, keeping the national development agenda on track, among other commitments, now confront the Mills administration.
While the government admits that the going has been generally tough, considering the severe impact of the global economic recession and the bad state of the national economy which it claims to have inherited from the Kufuor administration, it is nevertheless hopeful that the coming year would be a watershed of Ghana’s economic prosperity.
That optimism is bolstered by the prospects of an oil find, which will start flowing in the last quarter of 2010, albeit in small economic measure, and a promising outlook of the agriculture sector, which the 2010 Budget has targeted as the country’s growth pole for 2010.
With these glittering rays, President Mills could afford to look deep into the tunnel and assure Ghanaians that his electoral promise to transform the economy, improve on the living conditions of the people and leave a legacy of "A Better Ghana" will surely be redeemed.
Delivering one of such assurances last October when he paid a courtesy call on the Akuapehene, Oseadeeyo Nana Addo Dankwa III, the President asked Ghanaians to remain steadfast and calm while the government continued to get its act together to put the economy on an even keel and address the challenges facing the nation.
That plea may have been accorded a warm reception, given the short period in government, but with intense pressure coming from within and outside his own party to salvage the nation from economic hardship. With Election 2012 fast approaching, and with his own ambition to go back to the electorate for the renewal of his mandate, President Mills has no other option than to hit the ground, not running as he intimated in his inaugural address last January, but sprinting in 2010.
Politics:
The political temperature within the year under review remained very high, having reached a boiling point during the last electioneering. For the first time in the country’s history, no winner emerged for the presidential election, even after a second round of voting.
It took a third round, mainly in the Tain Constituency for a winner to emerge, but with the narrowest of margins ever recorded in Ghana’s political history.
Many people can easily recall the acrimony, violence, threats and the trading of allegations that characterised the elections, but many others might not be able to envisage what would have happened if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had been declared winner of the closely contested election, or if President Kufuor had not openly declared his readiness to hand over to whoever was declared winner by the Electoral Commission (EC).
In the first instance, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would surely have done something beyond just writing a ‘Stolen Verdict’, considering the pronouncements of some of its leading members. And in the second instance, the NPP would surely have pursued various options, including a legal action to halt the declaration of the election results.
Had either of the instances prevailed, Ghanaians might be writing and telling a different story today.
The tension, violence and the acrimony that characterised Election 2008 and later replicated in the suspended elections at Akwatia and the Chereponi bye-elections were eary signals that the worst was yet to come, but in all that, the spirit of the Ghanaian prevailed.
The usual crossfire between the two major political parties – the NDC and the NPP – has remained hot since the beginning of the year, but it became more intense occasionally, such as instances when national security operatives and some government officials hunted for and retrieved official vehicles from the custody of former government officials.
That exercise, coupled with the arrest of some former government officials, particularly Messrs Kwadwo Mpiani, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng and Akwasi Osei-Adjei by the operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) generated public furore for a considerable length of time.
One historic event of great significance in the annals of Ghana and, indeed, Africa, which seemed to have doused the boiling and the highly polluted political atmosphere in the course of the year was the visit to Ghana by the first Black President of America, Barack Hussein Obama, who was accompanied by his wife, Michelle Obama, and their two daughters.
The two-day visit by the 44th American President to what the White House described as "one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa" last July, provided the basis for a brief, but rare rapprochement among President Mills, former President Kufuor and former President Rawlings as, together, they shared a breakfast table and took photographs with the American first couple.
President Obama’s visit, which was largely influenced by Ghana’s recent exemplary strides in democracy, political stability and good governance, served as a good tonic for national cohesion, but not too long afterwards, the old order of political discordant and acrimony was restored.
This time, however, the pendulum of political friction swung from inter-party (usually between NDC and NPP) to intra-party muscle-flexing, involving some big wigs of the two major political parties, sometimes threatening party unity and cohesion.
With regard to the NDC, the criticism made by Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah about the slow pace of the Mills administration in fulfilling the expectations of NDC faithful in particular and Ghanaians in general, and the reply to same by Mr Ato Ahwoi seemed to threaten party unity and cohesion.
The two leading members of the NDC may have succeeded in adding new terminologies to the country’s political lexicon, such as "Team A and Team B players" and "Pissing in and pissing out", but they may not have succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of their NDC comrades with their style of addressing what is considered to be internal party matters.
Turning the radar on the camp of the NPP, Dr Arthur Kennedy’s critical analysis of why the NPP lost the 2008 elections as captured in his book, Chasing the elephant into the bush, stirred controversy strong enough to rip the party apart.
The resurgence of rivalry between the Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyerematen camps in the contest for the flagbearship of the NPP for Election 2012 also suggested that there could be more turbulent times ahead, to which the party must brace itself.
These intra-party frictions are likely to spill over into 2010 and even intensify as the two dominant political parties prepare for their respective national delegates conference early next year to elect national executives, whose principal job definition would be to deliver victory for their respective parties in Election 2012.
One other issue that dominated media headlines in the course of the year was the scandal involving the immediate-past Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, who allegedly swept his official residence of all household effects on leaving office.
Still in the domain of the legislature, the recommendations made by the Chinery-Hesse Committee regarding the end-of-service benefits of former President Kufuor and his stewards, as well as of those of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, till today, seem to be a never-ending controversy.
The circumstances under which the recommendations were approved by Parliament have remained a mystery to date, but what perhaps, might have deepened the controversy was the decision of President Mills to constitute the Ishmael Yamson Committee to review the recommendations of the Chinery-Hesse Committee.
Economy:
Politics may have dominated national discourse within the year, but one other issue that also gained substantial prominence and was a subject of critical analysis and controversy was the state of the nation’s economy.
While the ruling NDC often painted a gloomy picture of the state of the nation’s economy it inherited from the Kufuor administration, the NPP vehemently dismissed those assertions.
For many Ghanaians and other people who cherish objectivity, the concern has not been about whose claim is wholesome, but essentially, about the increasing economic hardship and how to tackle the challenges facing the nation.
Prices of goods and services have gone up significantly in the course of the year, while it has been difficult to tame inflation. While acknowledging that the economy has been rough, the government claims to have stabilised the situation, for which reason it assures Ghanaians of good times ahead.
"Considering the huge challenges the Mills administration faced in almost one year, with inflation skyrocketing and the cedi falling freely, it has done remarkably well in respect of stabilising the economy and bringing the core economic indicators on track," the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, stated in a Christmas message to Ghanaians.
Besides the facts and figures of macro and micro-economic variables, another issue that attracted enormous public attention was what might be termed “petrol politics’. There was hullabaloo as to whether or not President Mills had made a campaign promise to reduce the price of petroleum products "drastically" and the question of why he did not do so upon assumption of office.
Social:
To a large extent, the social front was generally quiet, except in a few areas, particularly the education sector, which was draped in controversy over whether or not to revert the duration of the senior secondary school programme from four to three years. Whereas the government made a preference for a three-year programme, the opposition NPP defended the four-year duration.
Opinion on the issue was intensely divided, even among the academia and such teaching bodies as the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT).
A National Education Forum held in Accra last May on the issue failed to yield consensus. If anything at all, it only succeeded in giving vent to the flaring emotions and the effusions of participants.
In the end, the advocates of a four-year duration had their say, but the government had its way as it subsequently announced its decision to revert to the three-year programme in line with a commitment made in the NDC manifesto.
One historical moment that graced the year was the centenary birthday celebration of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The occasion, which fell on September 21, was declared as a national holiday, but the decision by President Mills to declare it as Founder’s Day sparked off controversy as some critics of the Danquah-Busia stock contested the claim that Nkrumah was the founder of Ghana.
The critics contended that Ghana’s independence was orchestrated by many nationalists, all of whom ought to be honoured as is normally done for a victorious relay team, instead of just for one person, who was just the anchor man of a relay team to breast the tape. The argument only abated after the celebration.
The decision by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to eject an estimated 45,000 residents of Sodom and Gommorah also gained much prominence during the year as AMA officials, on one hand, and residents of the shanty town and human rights advocates, on the other hand, engaged in verbal crossfire.
Apart from gaining notoriety as a den of armed robbers, Sodom and Gommorah was also considered detrimental to the development and beautification of Accra, particularly the multi-million dollar Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP). In the end, the powers that be restrained the AMA from carrying out the ejection exercise.
Conflict & crime:
Although the country was relatively peaceful during the year, the people of Bawku did not have a feel of such an atmosphere as the intractable conflict there confined the residents in their homes for long hours under the intermittent curfews imposed on the town.
That followed period skirmishes in the town, which led to the death of some residents and destruction of properties.
The activities of armed robbers also continued to incite fear in the general public. In some instances, the armed robbers were so daring to have taken the fight to the police, attacking and killing some police personnel as they carried out their operations. The police responded to the challenge with a “shoot-to-kill” posture, gunning down some armed robbers in a few encounters to prove their firepower superiority.
Although the new posture of the police was extensively condemned by human rights advocates, they maintained their resolve, and with the support of the public, took the fight to the armed robbers.
One major issue that cannot elude the memory of Ghanaians in 2009 was the increased involvement of the youth in cyber crime, popularly called ‘Sakawa’. The resort to occultism and other spiritual means by the youth involved in ‘Sakawa’ in their quest to get rich quick, generated widespread furore among the general public.
Sports:
Sports made a huge impact within the year under review, for both bad and good reasons. The alleged scandal of financial misappropriation that rocked former Sports Minister, Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka, leading to his subsequent resignation from office, dominated the dark pages of Ghana sports in the early part of the year.
The alleged scandal proved to be a test case for President Mills’ resolve to be hostile to corruption, particularly by not providing cover for his appointees found to be corrupt. As to whether the President passed the test in the case of Alhaji Muntaka is a matter of opinion for all Ghanaians.
Apart from Alhaji Muntaka’s alleged scandal, the country also suffered some setbacks in sports, with two of its world boxing champions – Joshua Clottey and Joseph Agbeko – losing their titles.
On the flipside, however, there were historic and glorious moments to savour as the national Under-20 team, the Black Satellites, won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup trophy in Egypt last October, making Ghana the first African country to achieve that feat. Earlier in the year, the Black Satellites had also emerged as African champions in the CAF Under-20 tournament.
Just around the same period that the Black Satellites won the Under-20 World Cup, the senior national team, the Black Stars, also made history by becoming the first African country to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa and, significantly, the second time of qualifying for the tournament, after their maiden qualification for Germany 2006.
Qualifying for South Africa 2010 also meant a qualification for the Black Stars for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Angola this month, January.
The achievements of the Black Satellites and the Black Stars have set the tone for great expectations next year as the Black Stars in particular seek a fifth Africa Cup glory in Angola and thereafter, lead an African onslaught on the World Cup in South Africa next June.
Such also will be the high expectations in all endeavours, which Ghanaians would take into the new year, hoping that 2010 would, indeed, be a watershed of individual and national economic prosperity.
THUMB UP FOR GOVT (Front page) 01-01-10
Story: News Desk Report
GOVERNANCE and economic experts, as well as captains of industry, have given the government high performance ratings for 2009 in its handling of key economic variables and the fight against corruption.
Taking a glance back at 2009 and looking ahead into 2010 in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, the experts cited the swift manner in which the government dealt with allegations of malfeasance against some of its former ministers, the stabilisation of the economy and fiscal policy direction as some of the key indicators.
They were, however, quick to add that it needed to do more to help cushion the economy.
The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu Afari, urged the government to institute measures that would promote the growth of Ghanaian industry in 2010, reports Kofi Yeboah.
The call comes after industries had undergone a tough year in 2009, characterised by high inflation, high lending rates, job cuts and the effects of the global economic crunch.
Nana Afari expressed the hope that after stabilising the economy in 2009, the government would release funds into the economy to help industries to grow.
The AGI President suggested to the government to focus on reasonable levels of growth and infrastructure development that would impact positively on the growth of industries.
Nana Afari said after inheriting a big deficit, the government had to embark on a stabilising programme in 2009, for which reason it did not spend much for industries to also benefit.
Furthermore, he said, industries could not grow because high inflation affected the base and prime rates, which pushed lending rates high, thereby reducing cash flow.
According to the AGI President, 2009 was a very tough year because the repercussions of the global financial crisis also had a negative impact on industries.
He said in view of those challenges, some industries had to lay off some of their workers, adding that the situation also made it difficult for others to employ more workers.
Nana Afari said the AGI was holding discussions with the government to reduce the cost of doing business in order to expand the scope of industrial business and create wealth for Ghana to become strong.
Asked how industry was positioning itself to take advantage of opportunities inherent in oil production in the country scheduled to begin next year, Nana Afari said AGI members had high expectations for the emerging oil economy.
He was, however, worried that the country had not yet put in place a legal framework on the oil industry to ensure that local industries benefited adequately from the natural resource.
“If we don’t take time, we cannot position Ghanian industries well to benefit from the oil find,” he cautioned.
An economist, Mr Kwamena Essilfie Adjaye noted that the fiscal policy direction of the government for the year had yielded the expected results, reports Daniel Nkrumah.
He said in respect of the four major macroeconomic indicators, the government managed to get the economy into the direction it wanted.
Commenting on the specific indicators, he said although inflation had gone down from around 18 per cent in October to 16.92 per cent in November 2009, it would be difficult to attain the end-of-period target of 14.6 per cent, going by the trend in previous years.
He said there had consistently been an increase in inflation between November and December, adding that he was not expecting the trend to change.
On interest rates, he explained that because the government had been trying to control its deficit, it tried to limit domestic borrowing.
Mr Adjaye explained that although interest rates were not the best, the government had not contributed to an increase in demand for credit in the domestic banking and financial industry.
He added that the decreases in remittances, as a result of the global financial crisis, were also a contributory factor.
Commenting on the rate of GDP growth, he said the target set by the government had so far not been met, adding that there were indications that the country would grow at a lower rate.
The Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD) lauded the government for leading the crusade against corruption last year, Musah Yahaya Jafaru reports.
It mentioned the manner in which it dealt with the allegation of financial malfeasance against the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, and the referral of the Mabey & Johnson case involving the former Minister of Health, Dr George Adjah-Sipa Yankey, and a former Minister of State at the Presidency, Mr Baba Kamara, to the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for investigation as high points in the fight against corruption.
The Head of Programmes of CDD, Mr Kojo Asante, who was reviewing political and democratic events in 2009, said Ghana had a President “who wants to take a strong line against corruption”.
He, however, said the government had not done well in putting in place the necessary systems to make corruption unattractive.
For instance, Mr Asante said, although it was mandatory for public officials to declare their assets, there was no mechanism in place to compel them to comply with the directive.
Mr Asante condemned the violence that characterised by-elections in Akwatia and Cheriponi, which he said was perpetrated by foot soldiers.
He attributed the situation to inaction on the part of the police and “political interference with the process of policing”.
Mr Asante expressed worry at the “heavy-handedness” of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in the handling of suspects and stressed the need for it to be “humane” in dealing with them.
GOVERNANCE and economic experts, as well as captains of industry, have given the government high performance ratings for 2009 in its handling of key economic variables and the fight against corruption.
Taking a glance back at 2009 and looking ahead into 2010 in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, the experts cited the swift manner in which the government dealt with allegations of malfeasance against some of its former ministers, the stabilisation of the economy and fiscal policy direction as some of the key indicators.
They were, however, quick to add that it needed to do more to help cushion the economy.
The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu Afari, urged the government to institute measures that would promote the growth of Ghanaian industry in 2010, reports Kofi Yeboah.
The call comes after industries had undergone a tough year in 2009, characterised by high inflation, high lending rates, job cuts and the effects of the global economic crunch.
Nana Afari expressed the hope that after stabilising the economy in 2009, the government would release funds into the economy to help industries to grow.
The AGI President suggested to the government to focus on reasonable levels of growth and infrastructure development that would impact positively on the growth of industries.
Nana Afari said after inheriting a big deficit, the government had to embark on a stabilising programme in 2009, for which reason it did not spend much for industries to also benefit.
Furthermore, he said, industries could not grow because high inflation affected the base and prime rates, which pushed lending rates high, thereby reducing cash flow.
According to the AGI President, 2009 was a very tough year because the repercussions of the global financial crisis also had a negative impact on industries.
He said in view of those challenges, some industries had to lay off some of their workers, adding that the situation also made it difficult for others to employ more workers.
Nana Afari said the AGI was holding discussions with the government to reduce the cost of doing business in order to expand the scope of industrial business and create wealth for Ghana to become strong.
Asked how industry was positioning itself to take advantage of opportunities inherent in oil production in the country scheduled to begin next year, Nana Afari said AGI members had high expectations for the emerging oil economy.
He was, however, worried that the country had not yet put in place a legal framework on the oil industry to ensure that local industries benefited adequately from the natural resource.
“If we don’t take time, we cannot position Ghanian industries well to benefit from the oil find,” he cautioned.
An economist, Mr Kwamena Essilfie Adjaye noted that the fiscal policy direction of the government for the year had yielded the expected results, reports Daniel Nkrumah.
He said in respect of the four major macroeconomic indicators, the government managed to get the economy into the direction it wanted.
Commenting on the specific indicators, he said although inflation had gone down from around 18 per cent in October to 16.92 per cent in November 2009, it would be difficult to attain the end-of-period target of 14.6 per cent, going by the trend in previous years.
He said there had consistently been an increase in inflation between November and December, adding that he was not expecting the trend to change.
On interest rates, he explained that because the government had been trying to control its deficit, it tried to limit domestic borrowing.
Mr Adjaye explained that although interest rates were not the best, the government had not contributed to an increase in demand for credit in the domestic banking and financial industry.
He added that the decreases in remittances, as a result of the global financial crisis, were also a contributory factor.
Commenting on the rate of GDP growth, he said the target set by the government had so far not been met, adding that there were indications that the country would grow at a lower rate.
The Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD) lauded the government for leading the crusade against corruption last year, Musah Yahaya Jafaru reports.
It mentioned the manner in which it dealt with the allegation of financial malfeasance against the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, and the referral of the Mabey & Johnson case involving the former Minister of Health, Dr George Adjah-Sipa Yankey, and a former Minister of State at the Presidency, Mr Baba Kamara, to the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for investigation as high points in the fight against corruption.
The Head of Programmes of CDD, Mr Kojo Asante, who was reviewing political and democratic events in 2009, said Ghana had a President “who wants to take a strong line against corruption”.
He, however, said the government had not done well in putting in place the necessary systems to make corruption unattractive.
For instance, Mr Asante said, although it was mandatory for public officials to declare their assets, there was no mechanism in place to compel them to comply with the directive.
Mr Asante condemned the violence that characterised by-elections in Akwatia and Cheriponi, which he said was perpetrated by foot soldiers.
He attributed the situation to inaction on the part of the police and “political interference with the process of policing”.
Mr Asante expressed worry at the “heavy-handedness” of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in the handling of suspects and stressed the need for it to be “humane” in dealing with them.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Hundreds coming for the celebration (Pg 3) 18-09-09
Story: Kofi Yeboah
HUNDREDS of people from across Africa, America, Europe, The Caribbean, Pacific and other parts of the world are trooping down to Ghana to celebrate the centenary birthday of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, which falls on Monday, September 21, 2009.
The centres of attraction will be Nkroful in the Western Region, the birthplace of Dr Nkrumah, and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, where his mortal remains are presently accommodated.
The day has been declared by President Mills as statutory public holiday in honour of Dr Nkrumah, one of the most revered black freedom fighters in the world.
Apart from the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Nkroful, places and projects like the Akosombo Dam, the Peduase Lodge, Achimota School and the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO), which strike fond memories of Dr Nkrumah, are expected to attract enthusiastic crowds from far and near.
Last week Friday, the Vice President, Mr John Mahama, launched activities for the centenary celebration, which would be climaxed on African Union (AU) Day on May 25, 2010, when the whole of Africa is expected to celebrate him.
At the 13th AU Summit in Sirte, Libya, this year, African leaders unanimously voted to adopt the centenary birthday of Dr Nkrumah as an AU activity.
The decision followed an appeal made to that effect by President Mills when he addressed the summit.
Activities to commemorate the occasion, include lectures, symposia, exhibitions and cultural performances.
Acknowledged by the BBC as the African of the Millennium, Dr Nkrumah touched the lives of thousands of freedom-loving people in Africa and beyond after leading Ghana to attain political independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and, thereafter, taking a frontline role in the African liberation struggle.
A visionary leader, he was considered by many as peerless and decades ahead of his generation.
According to a former Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Edmund N. Delle, the difference between Nkrumah and his peers was universality of his person and the manner his messages touched the lives of the suffering and oppressed throughout the world.
“The others also had messages but they (messages) were not drummed home into the souls of the people. Nkrumah could see his future in history,” he remarked.
HUNDREDS of people from across Africa, America, Europe, The Caribbean, Pacific and other parts of the world are trooping down to Ghana to celebrate the centenary birthday of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, which falls on Monday, September 21, 2009.
The centres of attraction will be Nkroful in the Western Region, the birthplace of Dr Nkrumah, and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, where his mortal remains are presently accommodated.
The day has been declared by President Mills as statutory public holiday in honour of Dr Nkrumah, one of the most revered black freedom fighters in the world.
Apart from the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Nkroful, places and projects like the Akosombo Dam, the Peduase Lodge, Achimota School and the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO), which strike fond memories of Dr Nkrumah, are expected to attract enthusiastic crowds from far and near.
Last week Friday, the Vice President, Mr John Mahama, launched activities for the centenary celebration, which would be climaxed on African Union (AU) Day on May 25, 2010, when the whole of Africa is expected to celebrate him.
At the 13th AU Summit in Sirte, Libya, this year, African leaders unanimously voted to adopt the centenary birthday of Dr Nkrumah as an AU activity.
The decision followed an appeal made to that effect by President Mills when he addressed the summit.
Activities to commemorate the occasion, include lectures, symposia, exhibitions and cultural performances.
Acknowledged by the BBC as the African of the Millennium, Dr Nkrumah touched the lives of thousands of freedom-loving people in Africa and beyond after leading Ghana to attain political independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and, thereafter, taking a frontline role in the African liberation struggle.
A visionary leader, he was considered by many as peerless and decades ahead of his generation.
According to a former Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Edmund N. Delle, the difference between Nkrumah and his peers was universality of his person and the manner his messages touched the lives of the suffering and oppressed throughout the world.
“The others also had messages but they (messages) were not drummed home into the souls of the people. Nkrumah could see his future in history,” he remarked.
NKRUMAH - The myth, his vision & mission (Front page) 18-09-09
Story: Kofi Yeboah
SIXTY-THREE years may not be too long a life, but at that age, Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, leaves a bold footprint on the sands of time. His life is a cocktail of myth, vision and ambition.
Seven times he escapes assassination attempts; three times he is buried — once abroad and twice in Ghana; many times his effigy is burnt to ashes; for many years he is mocked and scorned by the very people he liberated from oppression; for a long time his books and everything about him are ordered for destruction in an attempt to wipe out his memory, at least from Ghanaian history; but he survives and remains the most celebrated person ever to grace the soils of Ghana and Africa.
Nkrumah, indeed, never dies! His memory remains indestructible, and with the celebration of his centenary birthday and the declaration of same as statutory public holiday, Osagyefo the President, as the media call him, has gained immortality. In the opinion of Dr Edmund N. Delle, a former Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nkrumah has achieved Martyrdom. "There is only one Nkrumah; you will not get such a person again for the next thousand years," he believes.
From his birth on September 21, 1909 to his death in 1972, and even in his grave thereafter, the life of Nkrumah is extremely sensational. In spite of all his foibles, as human as he is, his admirers, critics and enemies alike unanimously acknowledge him as the greatest African of the second millennium.
Childhood and education
Born at Nkroful, a hitherto unknown village in the Western Region, Nkrumah shows signs of vision, academic intellect, leadership qualities and mythical disposition during childhood. The date and day of his birth, as well as his family background, particularly the identity of his father, are all shrouded in mystery. One profound mystery that Nkrumah himself recalls in his autobiography is a story her mother often tells, that one day, as his mother travels with little Nkrumah strapped to her back, they wade through a stream on the way and when they get to the middle of it, he cries out in excitement that he is standing on a fish, and his mother, to her utter surprise, realises that she has actually trapped a fish under her feet and catches it for a meal in the evening.
Growing up, Nkrumah attends elementary school at Half Assini and his academic prowess is made manifest even at a tender age. Instead of the normal 10 years of elementary education, he completes it in eight years, suggesting that he may have been "jumped" over some stages of elementary education. Somewhere in 1926, as the Principal of the Government Training College (later Achimota College) visits the school, he finds Nkrumah very impressive and offers him admission to become a pioneer student of the college.
After graduating as a teacher from Achimota in 1930, Nkrumah takes up teaching appointments at the Roman Catholic Junior School at Elmina and later at the Roman Catholic Seminary at Amissano. During this period, his popularity and charisma take shape, while his appetite for politics keeps whetting every day, as he interacts with some influential figures in society. His sense of nationalism is inspired more by Nnamdi Azikiwe, a Nigerian journalist who edits The African Morning Post. Nkrumah’s interest in politics is deepened following the deportation of Azikiwe by the colonial government for sedition.
Like Moses going to the Palace of Pharaoh to acquire training to liberate the people of Israel from bondage years later, Nkrumah has to travel to the United States of America and the United Kingdom for academic, political and leadership training to redeem his people from oppressors’ rule. In 1935, young Nkrumah, desirous of pursuing higher education, and with money raised from family relations, sets out on a journey from Accra to New York. He manages to enrol at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, to study Theology and Philosophy.
It is at Lincoln University, the oldest Black American university college, that Nkrumah develops the consciousness of the Black and African personality as he interacts with Black American intellectuals. Buoyed by this new worldview, he moves to London after World War II and helps to organise Pan-African congresses with other black activists, writers, artists, and well-wishers.
Nkrumah’s homecoming
Back in the Gold Coast, the political temperature for independence is rising to a boiling point. The triumph of India over British colonialism in 1947 is strengthening the resolve of other colonies to go for the Golden Fleece. As Nkrumah returns home to join the struggle on the invitation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the leading political grouping in the country, his mission is clearly defined — "We prefer self-government in danger to servitude in tranquillity." His vision for an independent Ghana is also well cut out — "If we get self-government, we'll transform the Gold Coast into a paradise in 10 years."
Yes, he succeeds in giving Ghana independence. But no, he fails to transform Ghana into paradise after nine years’ rule. Perhaps, his setback is because he fails to make milk flow through the taps in Ghanaian homes. Nkrumah later admits this failure, but it is too late in the day because his regime is already overthrown.
On his return home, Nkrumah is welcomed to a charged political atmosphere for self-government. As the newly appointed General Secretary of the UGCC on the recommendation of Ako Adjei, one of its members, Nkrumah immediately unfolds his sleeves and gets down to work. He and five other members of the UGCC, namely Ako Adjei, Obetsebi-Lamptey, J. B. Danquah, Akufo-Addo and William Ofori-Atta, are imprisoned by the colonial government for allegedly causing widespread agitation, protests and violence across the country. However, their incarceration rather makes them more popular by earning reverence as the "Big Six".
After his release from prison, and dissatisfied with the UGCC’s sluggish approach towards the cause of independence, Nkrumah falls apart with the group to form the CPP. Armed with charisma, eloquence and extraordinary organisational ability, Nkrumah makes an onslaught on independence. His slogan, "Self-government now!", provides a more potent arsenal for political freedom under the circumstances than the UGCC’s cautious approach of "Self-government within the shortest possible time".
Nkrumah manages to prevail over all forms of opposition, both internal and external, but not without paying the price of incarceration. However, the masses will pronounce judgement in his favour by overwhelmingly voting for him in local election while in prison, to become the Prime Minister of the Gold Coast in 1952.
With the promised land clearly in sight, Nkrumah keeps his foot on the accelerator and at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra on March 6, 1957, he stands before an enthusiastic crowd and proclaims, "At long last, the battle has ended, and Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever." The spontaneous applause that greets the proclamation reverberates in the heavens.
Nkrumah instantly becomes a national hero. The name "GHANA" is even explained as the acronym for "God Has Appointed Nkrumah Already". Many songs are composed in his honour. He has virtually become a deity.
Religion and culture
Nkrumah is a huge symbol of culture in the country. He projects the Ghanaian culture through the wearing of "batakari" (smock) and Kente cloth. Everyone desires to be an "Nkrumah look-alike" and so the wearing of "batakari" and Kente becomes very fashionable. Some people even try their best to mimic him in speech and gesture. It is even considered a blessing for one to have a forehead that looks like Nkrumah’s.
Nkrumah is very religious and while teaching at the Roman Catholic Seminary at Amissano, he writes, "I gained the religious fervour to such an extent that I seriously formed the idea of taking the vocation of priesthood myself." He takes this desire to a higher level by studying Theology at Lincoln University, but Nkrumah has his own worldview about religion. "I believe strongly that church-going should be a matter of conscience and should not be obligatory," he argues.
Nkrumah’s philosophy on religion does not rob off well with orthodox Christians. He makes matters worse after he is believed to be a faithful of African religion by worshiping "Kankan Nyame", an African deity.
Nkrumah and African liberation
Ghana’s independence, according to Nkrumah, is not an end to the fight against colonialism, but the beginning of the emancipation of Africa from foreign domination. "Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent," he declares at the Old Polo Grounds. In that regard, he devotes much attention and energy to the African liberation struggle, sometimes sacrificing the interest of Ghana and his own commitment to the country. He exhibits extreme passion for the unity of Africa and emphasises the point in his 1961 book, I speak of freedom, "Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.”
Sadly, no one is listening to him and painfully, Africa is now paying the price of its deafness to the vision and wisdom of Nkrumah. It is for this reason that a renowned African scholar and historian, Prof. Ali Mazrui, observes at one of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Lecture series in Accra in 2007 that Nkrumah is a great son of Africa but never a great son of Ghana.
In his zeal to protect the interest of Africa, Nkrumah marshals every force at his disposal, including positive action, to resist what he considers to be "neo-colonialism and imperialism". It is on the basis of this resolve that Nkrumah convenes the "Positive action conference for peace and security" in Accra on April 7, 1960, for a united Africa response to the testing of nuclear weapon in the Sahara by France earlier in February that year. "There is no force, however impregnable, that a united and determined people cannot overcome," he tells the conference.
Angered by what he describes as "France’s arrogance", Nkrumah responds swiftly by freezing all French assets until the extent of the damage to the lives of the people becomes known. After carrying out another nuclear test in the Sahara, Nkrumah takes further action by recalling Ghana’s Ambassador to France.
As a fearless character, Nkrumah takes the fight against neo-colonialism to the arena of a world heavyweight like the USA. On March 22, 1965, for instance, Nkrumah goes on a foray and verbally assaults the US in a public speech for causing political turmoil in Africa, citing alleged American interference in the Congo. His outburst against the US is also based on the conviction that America is behind the assassination attempts on him.
The US is extremely disturbed by the comments of Nkrumah. The US Ambassador to Ghana at the time, Mr William P. Mahoney, therefore, seeks audience with Osagyefo to register America’s protest. In a telegraph to the US Department of State, Mr Mahoney recounts, "I looked up and I saw he was crying. With difficulty he said I could not understand the ordeal he had been through during the last month. He recalled that there had been seven attempts on his life…". He suspects America is behind the assassination attempts.
A man of ambition
Dr Nkrumah is overly ambitious. That character initially lifts him to the heights of fame and reverence, but later plunges him into the depths of shame and malevolence. Through his ambition, he manages to fast-track Ghana’s liberation from British colonial rule. After independence, he undertakes many ambitious projects, including the Accra-Tema Motorway, the Tema Harbour, schools, hospitals, railway lines, and factories, using them as the foundation for making Ghana an industrialised nation. Indeed, Nkrumah’s legacies to Ghana are too numerous to recount. His ambitious Seven-Year Development Plan meant to establish factories and public institutions, however, fails to achieve results. Consequently, the country’s economy suffers and the popularity of Nkrumah wanes rather badly.
Nevertheless, one singular ambitious project that stands tall among his legacies is the Volta River Project, involving the construction of a hydroelectric dam and smelter. This is a project described as "the most complex since Queen Marie was selling Romanian bonds". After lengthy negotiations for its construction, Nkrumah proudly inaugurates the dam on January 22, 1966, just in good time before his overthrow a month later on February 24, 1966.
Dr Nkrumah’s ambitious character sometimes makes him wallow in fantasies, some people say. Otherwise, he would not believe that the President of a tiny and new independent country in West Africa can broker peace between a world superpower like America and Vietnam, engaged in war.
"The Vietnam issue is a world issue and the world should be grateful to anyone who would succeed in making contribution towards its speedy solution," he confidently tells a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, as he embarks on a 10,000 mile journey from Accra to Hanoi, Vietnam, to broker peace.
While on his way to China, CIA-backed military and police officers overthrow his government in a coup. Back in Accra and elsewhere in Ghana, Nkrumah is crucified by the very people who have been singing his praise. They destroy his effigy and insignia on the streets amid singing and chanting, denouncing the Osagyefo (liberator).
"The myth surrounding Kwame Nkrumah has been broken," an army officer declares in a radio announcement after the coup. Nkrumah does not seem shattered by developments back home, not even when his trusted stewards are deserting him. His ego has not been betrayed yet as he remarks, "If I were there, who will dare!"
Interestingly, Nkrumah liberates Ghana in 1957 and becomes the happiest man on earth, but at age 57, soldiers, known as the National Liberation Council (NLC), decide to liberate Ghanaians from "Nkrumah’s dictatorial rule" and makes him the most disappointed man on earth.
After his overthrow, Nkrumah finds favour with Guinean President Sekou Toure, who, in appreciation of Osagyefo’s benevolence to Guinea, makes him co-president of Guinea.
However, in keeping with the biblical injunction that, "Where a man’s treasure is, there his heart lies," Nkrumah keeps his eyes, ears, mind and heart on Ghana, despatching shortwave broadcasts across Conakry to Accra and writing voluminous letters, ideological treaties and books, all in the hope of winning back the hearts of the people he so much loves and for whose political freedom he has devoted greater part of his life.
After six years in exile, he succumbs to sickness, and later death in 1972. He does not live a little longer to see the end of the military regime that overthrew him and to witness the emergence of another military regime that will restore some of his lost dignity.
SIXTY-THREE years may not be too long a life, but at that age, Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, leaves a bold footprint on the sands of time. His life is a cocktail of myth, vision and ambition.
Seven times he escapes assassination attempts; three times he is buried — once abroad and twice in Ghana; many times his effigy is burnt to ashes; for many years he is mocked and scorned by the very people he liberated from oppression; for a long time his books and everything about him are ordered for destruction in an attempt to wipe out his memory, at least from Ghanaian history; but he survives and remains the most celebrated person ever to grace the soils of Ghana and Africa.
Nkrumah, indeed, never dies! His memory remains indestructible, and with the celebration of his centenary birthday and the declaration of same as statutory public holiday, Osagyefo the President, as the media call him, has gained immortality. In the opinion of Dr Edmund N. Delle, a former Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nkrumah has achieved Martyrdom. "There is only one Nkrumah; you will not get such a person again for the next thousand years," he believes.
From his birth on September 21, 1909 to his death in 1972, and even in his grave thereafter, the life of Nkrumah is extremely sensational. In spite of all his foibles, as human as he is, his admirers, critics and enemies alike unanimously acknowledge him as the greatest African of the second millennium.
Childhood and education
Born at Nkroful, a hitherto unknown village in the Western Region, Nkrumah shows signs of vision, academic intellect, leadership qualities and mythical disposition during childhood. The date and day of his birth, as well as his family background, particularly the identity of his father, are all shrouded in mystery. One profound mystery that Nkrumah himself recalls in his autobiography is a story her mother often tells, that one day, as his mother travels with little Nkrumah strapped to her back, they wade through a stream on the way and when they get to the middle of it, he cries out in excitement that he is standing on a fish, and his mother, to her utter surprise, realises that she has actually trapped a fish under her feet and catches it for a meal in the evening.
Growing up, Nkrumah attends elementary school at Half Assini and his academic prowess is made manifest even at a tender age. Instead of the normal 10 years of elementary education, he completes it in eight years, suggesting that he may have been "jumped" over some stages of elementary education. Somewhere in 1926, as the Principal of the Government Training College (later Achimota College) visits the school, he finds Nkrumah very impressive and offers him admission to become a pioneer student of the college.
After graduating as a teacher from Achimota in 1930, Nkrumah takes up teaching appointments at the Roman Catholic Junior School at Elmina and later at the Roman Catholic Seminary at Amissano. During this period, his popularity and charisma take shape, while his appetite for politics keeps whetting every day, as he interacts with some influential figures in society. His sense of nationalism is inspired more by Nnamdi Azikiwe, a Nigerian journalist who edits The African Morning Post. Nkrumah’s interest in politics is deepened following the deportation of Azikiwe by the colonial government for sedition.
Like Moses going to the Palace of Pharaoh to acquire training to liberate the people of Israel from bondage years later, Nkrumah has to travel to the United States of America and the United Kingdom for academic, political and leadership training to redeem his people from oppressors’ rule. In 1935, young Nkrumah, desirous of pursuing higher education, and with money raised from family relations, sets out on a journey from Accra to New York. He manages to enrol at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, to study Theology and Philosophy.
It is at Lincoln University, the oldest Black American university college, that Nkrumah develops the consciousness of the Black and African personality as he interacts with Black American intellectuals. Buoyed by this new worldview, he moves to London after World War II and helps to organise Pan-African congresses with other black activists, writers, artists, and well-wishers.
Nkrumah’s homecoming
Back in the Gold Coast, the political temperature for independence is rising to a boiling point. The triumph of India over British colonialism in 1947 is strengthening the resolve of other colonies to go for the Golden Fleece. As Nkrumah returns home to join the struggle on the invitation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the leading political grouping in the country, his mission is clearly defined — "We prefer self-government in danger to servitude in tranquillity." His vision for an independent Ghana is also well cut out — "If we get self-government, we'll transform the Gold Coast into a paradise in 10 years."
Yes, he succeeds in giving Ghana independence. But no, he fails to transform Ghana into paradise after nine years’ rule. Perhaps, his setback is because he fails to make milk flow through the taps in Ghanaian homes. Nkrumah later admits this failure, but it is too late in the day because his regime is already overthrown.
On his return home, Nkrumah is welcomed to a charged political atmosphere for self-government. As the newly appointed General Secretary of the UGCC on the recommendation of Ako Adjei, one of its members, Nkrumah immediately unfolds his sleeves and gets down to work. He and five other members of the UGCC, namely Ako Adjei, Obetsebi-Lamptey, J. B. Danquah, Akufo-Addo and William Ofori-Atta, are imprisoned by the colonial government for allegedly causing widespread agitation, protests and violence across the country. However, their incarceration rather makes them more popular by earning reverence as the "Big Six".
After his release from prison, and dissatisfied with the UGCC’s sluggish approach towards the cause of independence, Nkrumah falls apart with the group to form the CPP. Armed with charisma, eloquence and extraordinary organisational ability, Nkrumah makes an onslaught on independence. His slogan, "Self-government now!", provides a more potent arsenal for political freedom under the circumstances than the UGCC’s cautious approach of "Self-government within the shortest possible time".
Nkrumah manages to prevail over all forms of opposition, both internal and external, but not without paying the price of incarceration. However, the masses will pronounce judgement in his favour by overwhelmingly voting for him in local election while in prison, to become the Prime Minister of the Gold Coast in 1952.
With the promised land clearly in sight, Nkrumah keeps his foot on the accelerator and at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra on March 6, 1957, he stands before an enthusiastic crowd and proclaims, "At long last, the battle has ended, and Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever." The spontaneous applause that greets the proclamation reverberates in the heavens.
Nkrumah instantly becomes a national hero. The name "GHANA" is even explained as the acronym for "God Has Appointed Nkrumah Already". Many songs are composed in his honour. He has virtually become a deity.
Religion and culture
Nkrumah is a huge symbol of culture in the country. He projects the Ghanaian culture through the wearing of "batakari" (smock) and Kente cloth. Everyone desires to be an "Nkrumah look-alike" and so the wearing of "batakari" and Kente becomes very fashionable. Some people even try their best to mimic him in speech and gesture. It is even considered a blessing for one to have a forehead that looks like Nkrumah’s.
Nkrumah is very religious and while teaching at the Roman Catholic Seminary at Amissano, he writes, "I gained the religious fervour to such an extent that I seriously formed the idea of taking the vocation of priesthood myself." He takes this desire to a higher level by studying Theology at Lincoln University, but Nkrumah has his own worldview about religion. "I believe strongly that church-going should be a matter of conscience and should not be obligatory," he argues.
Nkrumah’s philosophy on religion does not rob off well with orthodox Christians. He makes matters worse after he is believed to be a faithful of African religion by worshiping "Kankan Nyame", an African deity.
Nkrumah and African liberation
Ghana’s independence, according to Nkrumah, is not an end to the fight against colonialism, but the beginning of the emancipation of Africa from foreign domination. "Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent," he declares at the Old Polo Grounds. In that regard, he devotes much attention and energy to the African liberation struggle, sometimes sacrificing the interest of Ghana and his own commitment to the country. He exhibits extreme passion for the unity of Africa and emphasises the point in his 1961 book, I speak of freedom, "Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.”
Sadly, no one is listening to him and painfully, Africa is now paying the price of its deafness to the vision and wisdom of Nkrumah. It is for this reason that a renowned African scholar and historian, Prof. Ali Mazrui, observes at one of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Lecture series in Accra in 2007 that Nkrumah is a great son of Africa but never a great son of Ghana.
In his zeal to protect the interest of Africa, Nkrumah marshals every force at his disposal, including positive action, to resist what he considers to be "neo-colonialism and imperialism". It is on the basis of this resolve that Nkrumah convenes the "Positive action conference for peace and security" in Accra on April 7, 1960, for a united Africa response to the testing of nuclear weapon in the Sahara by France earlier in February that year. "There is no force, however impregnable, that a united and determined people cannot overcome," he tells the conference.
Angered by what he describes as "France’s arrogance", Nkrumah responds swiftly by freezing all French assets until the extent of the damage to the lives of the people becomes known. After carrying out another nuclear test in the Sahara, Nkrumah takes further action by recalling Ghana’s Ambassador to France.
As a fearless character, Nkrumah takes the fight against neo-colonialism to the arena of a world heavyweight like the USA. On March 22, 1965, for instance, Nkrumah goes on a foray and verbally assaults the US in a public speech for causing political turmoil in Africa, citing alleged American interference in the Congo. His outburst against the US is also based on the conviction that America is behind the assassination attempts on him.
The US is extremely disturbed by the comments of Nkrumah. The US Ambassador to Ghana at the time, Mr William P. Mahoney, therefore, seeks audience with Osagyefo to register America’s protest. In a telegraph to the US Department of State, Mr Mahoney recounts, "I looked up and I saw he was crying. With difficulty he said I could not understand the ordeal he had been through during the last month. He recalled that there had been seven attempts on his life…". He suspects America is behind the assassination attempts.
A man of ambition
Dr Nkrumah is overly ambitious. That character initially lifts him to the heights of fame and reverence, but later plunges him into the depths of shame and malevolence. Through his ambition, he manages to fast-track Ghana’s liberation from British colonial rule. After independence, he undertakes many ambitious projects, including the Accra-Tema Motorway, the Tema Harbour, schools, hospitals, railway lines, and factories, using them as the foundation for making Ghana an industrialised nation. Indeed, Nkrumah’s legacies to Ghana are too numerous to recount. His ambitious Seven-Year Development Plan meant to establish factories and public institutions, however, fails to achieve results. Consequently, the country’s economy suffers and the popularity of Nkrumah wanes rather badly.
Nevertheless, one singular ambitious project that stands tall among his legacies is the Volta River Project, involving the construction of a hydroelectric dam and smelter. This is a project described as "the most complex since Queen Marie was selling Romanian bonds". After lengthy negotiations for its construction, Nkrumah proudly inaugurates the dam on January 22, 1966, just in good time before his overthrow a month later on February 24, 1966.
Dr Nkrumah’s ambitious character sometimes makes him wallow in fantasies, some people say. Otherwise, he would not believe that the President of a tiny and new independent country in West Africa can broker peace between a world superpower like America and Vietnam, engaged in war.
"The Vietnam issue is a world issue and the world should be grateful to anyone who would succeed in making contribution towards its speedy solution," he confidently tells a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, as he embarks on a 10,000 mile journey from Accra to Hanoi, Vietnam, to broker peace.
While on his way to China, CIA-backed military and police officers overthrow his government in a coup. Back in Accra and elsewhere in Ghana, Nkrumah is crucified by the very people who have been singing his praise. They destroy his effigy and insignia on the streets amid singing and chanting, denouncing the Osagyefo (liberator).
"The myth surrounding Kwame Nkrumah has been broken," an army officer declares in a radio announcement after the coup. Nkrumah does not seem shattered by developments back home, not even when his trusted stewards are deserting him. His ego has not been betrayed yet as he remarks, "If I were there, who will dare!"
Interestingly, Nkrumah liberates Ghana in 1957 and becomes the happiest man on earth, but at age 57, soldiers, known as the National Liberation Council (NLC), decide to liberate Ghanaians from "Nkrumah’s dictatorial rule" and makes him the most disappointed man on earth.
After his overthrow, Nkrumah finds favour with Guinean President Sekou Toure, who, in appreciation of Osagyefo’s benevolence to Guinea, makes him co-president of Guinea.
However, in keeping with the biblical injunction that, "Where a man’s treasure is, there his heart lies," Nkrumah keeps his eyes, ears, mind and heart on Ghana, despatching shortwave broadcasts across Conakry to Accra and writing voluminous letters, ideological treaties and books, all in the hope of winning back the hearts of the people he so much loves and for whose political freedom he has devoted greater part of his life.
After six years in exile, he succumbs to sickness, and later death in 1972. He does not live a little longer to see the end of the military regime that overthrew him and to witness the emergence of another military regime that will restore some of his lost dignity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)