IS THIS WHAT WE BARGAINED FOR? (Ghana: Independence and after)

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ACCRA, Advocacy Advisor, Africa, Asia, Business and Economy, ghana, Ghanaians, Kenya, Kwame Nkrumah, Rule of Law

Reflex Eco Group – Ghana News

By Akwasi Agyeman-Dua (Local Journalist & Media and Advocacy Advisor)

This Blog is sponsored by http://www.reflexecogroup.com

COLONIALISM COULD’NT GO on forever. It definitely had to fall elsewhere and in Africa. The old order always changes giving place to new. Ghana’s independence heralded ‘the wind of change’ that swept through Africa and brought independence in the 1960’s to many more African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and others. In Ghana, two political statements which gained prominence among others during the struggle were, “Self-government now” and “Seek ye first the political kingdom and all other things shall be added unto it”. The records have not proved us right on the second score, I believe.

The fight against colonialism started long before Kwame Nkrumah joined it and ultimately took over the mantle of leadership and helped the country to attain independence on March 6, 1957. The hopes and aspirations of the people had been great and strong over the years. Earlier freedom fighters had included J.E. Casely Hayford, Mensah Sarbah, J.B. Danquah, some chiefs and intelligentsia.

Fifty-six years after independence, it is very appropriate to review the last fifty years and to try to forecast the next fifty years. As has been noted, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. Added to this could be the Biblical passage which says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. Like all nations and groups of people on planet Earth, Ghana and Ghanaians have had their fair share of tribulations and triumphs, high points and low points.

One would have expected that the numerous changes of governments could lead to greater development for Ghana. After all what haven’t politicians with their mouths and soldiers with their guns, promised my dear countrymen and women? Has the struggle for self-government been worth-while?

National anthems, coat of arms, mottos and slogans are all ways and means of conditioning people’s minds to a set of core values which can help galvanize them into responsible action. Ghana at independence in 1957 chose as its motto, “Freedom and Justice”. Two very strong words. Who ever suggested them must be found, congratulated and honoured. It seems the name of the person was not put on record for historical purposes.

Ghana and Ghanaians don’t have the luxury of time like some developed nations have had over the years. Beside it is known that some nations have tried to develop within a relatively shorter time. There are examples in Asia and Southern America. We also currently have the benefit of improved science and technology which can help us catch up on development. Much time and resources have been wasted in Ghana and Africa which have contributed to our current state of affairs. This shameful situation must end.

We need a new Ghanaian with renewed values and attitudes. The new Ghanaian who would think more about the general good rather than parochial, selfish interests. We must not let the sacrifices of our forbears and that of patriotic compatriots, dead or alive, be in vain. Let us see the true meaning of the country’s motto of Freedom and Justice. Freedom we seem to have had in abundance. Let’s now see true Justice in every sphere of our national life. Let’s have Law and Order. Let the Rule of Law and Love prevail. With God, ‘we can truly make our nation great and strong’, as captured in the words of Ghana’s national anthem.

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NKRUMAH’S BIRTHDAY AS FOUNDER’S DAY

Tags

Africa, Bucharest, Convention People, Convention People's Party, ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, Patriots Day, United Gold Coast Convention

Reflex Eco Group – Ghana News

By Akwasi Agyeman-Dua (Local Journalist & Media and Advocacy Advisor)

This Blog is sponsored by http://www.reflexecogroup.com

 

The First President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah is recognized in history as a great man, more specifically a great Pan-Africanist of no mean repute.   At Ghana’s independence in 1957, he declared that Ghana’s independence was meaningless unless it was linked with the total liberation of Africa.  September 21 this year marks his 104th birthday.   He died 41 years ago at the age of 63 in Bucharest, Romania where he had gone for medical treatment.   The African Union has erected a statue to his honour at Addis Ababa.  He has received other recognitions in Africa and globally.   Ghana now celebrates his birthday as a public holiday.

Kwame was born as Kofi Nwiah at Nkroful in the Western Region of Ghana.  After training as a teacher at Achimota College, Accra and teaching for a while, he left for further studies in the United States of America, where he stayed for more than a decade.  He later left for the United Kingdom to continue his studies.  While there he helped to organise the momentous fifth Pan-African Congress in 1945.

Dr Nkrumah returned to the then Gold Coast in 1947 at the invitation of the pro-independence nationalist movement, the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) to be its General-Secretary.  Kwame was arrested with five other leading members of the UGCC, for political reasons arising out of public unrest in 1948 and they became known as “The Big Six”.  He stayed with the UGCC till 1949 when he broke away with others to form the Convention People’s Party (CPP) which eventually led the Gold Coast to independence.

Nkrumah’s birthday, which has been designated ‘Founder’s Day’ has generated the debate as to whether he is indeed the founder of Ghana or there were others, for instance other members of the ‘Big Six’ who equally deserve to be recognized as Founders. How long this debate would go on can’t easily be predicted.

I  wish to propose that September 21 even if it is celebrated should be called ‘The Patriots Day’ to make it more embracing and motivational for the old and young, Nkrumaists and non-Nkrumaists.   The National Commission on Civic Education may be contracted to organise the day to promote patriotism and   Pan-Africanism among Ghanaians.  The Osagyefo, Dr Nkrumah and all well-meaning Ghanaians and Pan-Africanists would be more than grateful for this gesture which would encapsulate the ideals and passion Nkrumah had for Ghana and Africa.  This would call for rededication and further commitment by all lovers of Africa’s freedom and prosperity.

 

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Investment News: RBS, Direct Line Insurance, Foxtons & more

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ACCRA, Accra International Conference Centre, Africa, BC Partners, Business, Direct Line, European Union, Foxtons, ghana, Insurance, Japan, Jardine Lloyd Thompson, John Kufuor, Kwame Nkrumah, London, RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Trevor Manuel, United States

This Blog is sponsored by http://www.reflexecogroup.com

Today’s market overview

London equities are taking a breather today after yesterday’s post-Fed surge, and The Trader Dominic Picarda is looking for further strong direction.

IC TIP UPDATES:

RBS (RBS) has offloaded a further 300 million shares in insurance group Direct Line Insurance (DLG) at 210p a share, banking £630m in the process. This is a continuation of the sale mandated by the European Union under state aid rules. RBS still holds 454.7m shares or 28.5 per cent of Direct Line, which will continue to be an overhang on the shares. We reiterate our sell recommendation on Direct Line.

Insurance specialist Randall & Quilter Holdings (RQIH) has announced a 3.4p a share special dividend for investors in a move which will also result in a reduction in the company’s share capital. We keep our buy rating.

Simon Thompson recommendation Trading Emissions (TRE) has informed investors that its Braziliam subsidiary is facing a possible write down on its investment in biodiesel business Bionasa, which it owns 25 per cent of. The company is experiencing financial difficulties which Trading Emissions is still hoping will be resolved to allow its plant to recommence production, but there is no guarantee this will happen.

KEY STORIES:

Estate agency Foxtons (FOXT) has confirmed the pricing of its initial public offering at 230p a share, which will value the company at £649m. The offering will raise £390m, of which £55m is for the business and £335m for shareholders including BC Partners and directors. Conditional dealings commenced this morning and the shares are trading at 280p.

Tanfield (TAN) has announced the disposal of its powered access division via a ‘staged acquisition’ which will see Xtreme Manufacturing of Nevada take on the working capital requirements and the business placed into a new entity which Tanfield will retain a 49 per cent share of. Dependant on future performance Tanfield will be paid preferred interest which will, over time, reduce its holding to 30 per cent.

Insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) is to acquire the reinsurance business of Towers Watson for $250m and merge it with its own JLT Re reinsurance business.

Recruiter Matchtech (MTEC) is raising £4.1 from a placing of a little more than 1m shares. It has also appointed Brian Wilkinson as its executive chairman.

OTHER COMPANY NEWS:

Skyepharma (SKP) has been awarded approval for two bronchial drugs, Flutiform and Relvar Ellipta, in Japan.

Malaysian mobile messaging business MacroMacc (MACC) started trading on Aim this morning after raising £475,000.

 

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Kufuor, others call for quality leadership in Africa

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ACCRA, Accra International Conference Centre, Africa, BRICS, Chief executive officer, Declaration, Economic development, Federal Reserve System, ghana, Head of state, History of Africa, Industrialisation, Investment, John Kufuor, Kufuor, Kwame Nkrumah, Manuel, South Africa, St Petersburg, Sustainable development, Trevor Manuel, United States, US Federal Reserve

Reflex Eco Group – Ghana News

This Blog is sponsored by http://www.reflexecogroup.com

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and other eminent persons have underscored the need for African countries to use stronger institutions and quality leadership to develop the continent and improve the life of its people at a lecture in Accra on Thursday September 12.

Speaking at the John A. Kufuor Foundation’s 3rd Global Development Lecture on “Africa – Emerging Economies & Globalisation” , President Kufuor said good leadership is a critical prerequisite for good governance, which in turn delivers the required environment for development. He said leadership therefore should be nurtured, and called on students to use the opportunity of schooling to interact and expand their mental horizons so that when they come out of school, they can help proffer solutions.

“We all know our continent is afflicted. Diseases, ignorance, poverty, dictatorships and so on, we need to tackle all these things and nobody is going to come from outside to do these works for us, we must do them to make our name into the developed world.”

President Kufuor said when Africa has related to other continents, it has done so from a position of disadvantage, her rich mineral resources exploited and carted away, while the continent suffer the indignation and scorn of the exploiters.

Pragmatism rather than posturing is what is needed, he re-echoed words attributed to Dr. Trevor Manuel, South Africa’s National Planning Commission Minister, saying it is a critical maxim that must be inculcated in the African for the work ahead.

Former President Kufuor who said the foundation aims to promote and advance leadership, good governance and development on the African continent, also pointed out that real and rounded development with high quality of life for all the people on a sustained basis is the dream of all nations.

Dr. Trevor Manuel pointed the way for Africa’s economic emancipation, pinpointing the need for a collective assault on the impediments to development on a continent paradoxically wanting amidst plenty.

In African unity lies our collective strength, he said, arguing that with so many factors going for the continent, quality leadership and indigenous solutions are some of the critical ingredients required to buck the trend of underdevelopment and misery.

Capping a brilliant address laced with very practical yet highly motivating action points at the lecture at the Accra International Conference Centre, Dr. Manuel said with high growth, the experience of what works and what does not, plus the good luck of excellent commodity prices, Africa critically need leadership and a push for faster and further institutional reforms.

“Let us accelerate the pace of our work, and ensure that every African renews their self-belief. We have the development lessons to build on, we have a rich African history of successes and unrequited promises to draw from. Increasingly, we have to think of a single Africa, and flatten the sovereign impediments to that single objective. It is worth reminding ourselves of our collective capability.

“This is our moment and the questions before us are whether we understand the moment that we have created? Whether we can persuade the dissenters? And whether we can, as Kwame Nkrumah argued, it is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and this can only be found in African unity,” he posited, drawing a long drawn cheer from the filled auditorium that included several of Ghana’s ex-ministers who served in President Kufuor’s administration, as well as a good number of industry chieftains.

Enumerating what he described as an important period in Africa’s political economic history, Dr. Manuel said the continent’s economic performance over the past decade has been stellar, reaching levels of growth not seen as consistently before. That solid performance, he said, was against the backdrop of a world economy that now in its sixth year of crisis, with no end in sight.

“In fact, the cross-border impacts of decisions in large economies globally have created a huge concern. In particular, the impact of monetary easing by the US Federal Reserve has induced huge volatility in the emerging market economies, especially amongst the BRICS. This admission is included in the Declaration of the meeting of G20 Heads of State who met in St Petersburg just a few days ago. What is important, therefore, is that we raise the quality of both the interactions and commitments by African leaders for mutual and intra-African collaboration.”

Dr Manuel said the past decade offers an important learning opportunity, for during this decade-long boom for Africa, poverty rates fell, school enrolment increased, infrastructure investment spending quadrupled, exports increased and Africa received a growing share of foreign direct investment. And these positive trends come on the back of improving governance and a much sounder approach to macroeconomic management.

Africa, he said, can pat itself on the back, but at the same time, it needs to understand the contextual realities that gave rise to this growth.

“The main question is whether we can sustain these trends, deepen them, broaden them and most importantly, take more of our people along a path of rising incomes, rising employment and better living standards. Despite the positive trends, it is not self-evident that Africa will prosper. Whether we succeed as a continent will depend on the reforms we introduce to sustain growth and make it more inclusive. What we do next, may significantly alter the historical trajectory of our continent. We have to build on the growth of the past decade, and invest in industrialisation and our human capital to further expand and modernise our economies.”

He said there is a need to further unlock Africa’s growth potential and establish clearer, more effective links between decision-making and implementation and delivery.

Dwelling on a set of themes around which he said reforms must evolve, he said a renewed focus on regional integration; the institutional underpinnings for sustainable growth, including education, health care and the building and strengthening of accountable institutions of governance; a focus on the need for urban policy; and the need for significantly higher investment in infrastructure, and lastly, a set of issues relating to employment, economic diversification, including the need to industrialise are key.

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IN DEFENCE OF HISTORY

Tags

ACCRA, Africa, Ali Mazrui, Business and Economy, ECOWAS, ghana, Government, Kumasi, Kwame Nkrumah, Nigeria, Uganda, United States, University of Ghana, USA

Reflex Eco Group – Ghana News

By Akwasi Agyeman-Dua (Local Journalist & Media and Advocacy Advisor)

 

History is defined as “The study of past events, particularly in human affairs”. The eminent Kenyan scholar, Professor Ali Mazrui, many years ago (in the early 1970’s) in an article in the “Transition” Pan-African magazine then published in Uganda, wrote, “I am not a historian but like the rest of us, I am a product of history. I therefore take interest in what men have done in the past and the causes and consequences of those past actions”.

He goes on to say that, “Reading our own history is of course, quite fundamental but never enough. We must also read the history of others, discover the sources of their achievements and the causes of their failures”. History in every aspect of life is indispensable in reviewing the past, confronting the present and predicting the future.

History is as old as the beginning of creation and mankind. Its lessons are good for progress and human development. History is about people, men, women and children. It’s about good people and bad people; dictators and philanthropists; sportsmen/women, etc. It is about families, groups and nations. It is about what people have done and may likely repeat in the future. There is a popular axiom which says, “History repeats itself”.

The great good book, the Bible, tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. As a school discipline or social study course, history appears boring to many people. It entails a lot of reading and sometimes memorizing of important dates. However unless anybody or group of persons are serious with their history, they are likely not going to make a serious headway with their future. Mrs Coretta King of the USA was right in saying that “As a nations honours its heroes and heroines, it interprets its history and destines its future”. The USA and many developed countries have very learned history scholars who try to study their country’s past historical issues and document current events. Ghana could sometime ago boast of eminent historians like Professor Adu Boahen and Dr. Kofi Buah. We still have some historians and history scholars working on the quiet in this country. They include Profs. Irene Oddoteye and Akosua Perbi, who are associated with the University of Ghana, Legon. They and others like them ought to be supported in their work of recording the country’s current history.

Scholars and governments in developing countries must review their attitude to the study and utilization of history in advancing national development goals. It has been said that “Experience is a good teacher”. History is full of experiences and the wise person would learn from experience while a fool would not and could thereby suffer serious consequences. History can help shape the values of a family, an organisation, a school or nation. Our educational system must be well-rounded to ensure that we groom our people to compete realistically on the global market as Africans and not as half-baked and seemingly second-rate Westerners.

We all have to consider and confront our history, as individuals or groups of persons, from nations to groups of nations like the ECOWAS, Africa Union or the UN. Always remembering that “It is only the fool who would not learn from experience”. The Ghanaian Akan proverb says, “Tete wo bi ka, tete wo bi kyere” (Literally translated “Our forebears have something to tell us and teach us”). Prof. Ali Mazrui admonishes that “We study history in order to understand ourselves. But we should also study it to be wiser, more humane, less rash, certainly less brutal and often with an eye on the future”. “A word to the wise is enough”, so said the wise old man/woman in your village and mine.

AKWASI AGYEMAN-DUA

P.O. Box C991

Cantonments, Accra

GHANA

E-mail: aadua061@yahoo.com

Accra

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