There is no doubt that Ghana has wandered in its effort to enlist into the group of developed countries. There is also no doubt that Ghana has all it takes to become a developed country and an economic superpower in the world. What is missing in Ghana's quest in the past five decades to become what it has always yearned to be, as many would readily point at as its weakness, is ineffective leadership after its first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah is a special character to many Ghanaians and many people in the world.
His political and economic achievements are unmatched by that of all black Sub-Sahara African Presidents.
He became the first Prime Minister on the attainment of independence in 1957 and the President in 1960 when Ghana became a Republic.
Ghana witnessed very impressive achievements under his administration. The economy saw visible improvements during the early years of his rule.
His government set out to establish an egalitarian and socialist society that was to provide better life and happiness for all Ghanaians.
The government set up many public corporations and state institutions to cater for the industrial and agricultural needs of the country.
Under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a number of social services were established.
Ghana became the first country in Africa to provide free education and medical care for its people.
Two universities, one at Cape Coast and the other in Kumasi, were established during his rule.
Also a well-planned network of roads and an international airport in Accra.
He led Ghana to attain one of the highest standards of living in Africa.
Since his overthrow in 1966 none of the Presidents after can be measured to him. In fact, all tried, in a way or another, to associate with him.
He supervised the building of the Harbour and the Tema township for industrial workers, the gigantic hydroelectric Volta Dam at Akosombo and a progressive housing scheme was rolled out in all regions. These and many more are some of the monuments for which Dr. Nkrumah is highly rated in Ghana and the entire world.
Dr. Nkrumah relentlessly pursued his idea of Pan-Africanism both internationally and locally and emphasised the need for African Unity which greatly contributed to the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.
As if he had control over the future, he left Ghana with his last wonder in Egypt. He hid Onsy until the year 2000 when he ordered him to take a journey of no return to Ghana. The instruction was: “Go and complete my unfinished business."
A meeting with Onsy revealed a wealth of knowledge and intelligence to lead Ghana into the comity of developed nations.
Filed by Onua Kojo Nkansah
kojokansah1@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/Onua Kojo Nkansah
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