Who is Ghana’s founder?

By Jake Addo

J. B. Danquah is no doubt the doyen of Gold Coast/Ghana politics. He founded and led United Gold Coast Convention. Before then he single handedly wrote, fought and championed the cause of Ghana’s independence. J.B. sponsored delegates to the U.K. to plead for self government; organized chiefs, lawyers and cocoa farmers in support for self government; formed the first political party UGCC; invited Nkrumah to join the UGCC. As leader of the UGCC he led the struggle of our independence with great effort and hard work.

At a point Nkrumah had to break away from the UGCC to form the CPP which was made up mostly of the underprivileged which he led, while J.B. led the UGCC made up mostly of the privileged class. From then on the two parties continued with the struggle for independence in deferent form and style, while J.B. concentrated of the elite, Nkrumah organized the underclass.

If at the time of independence, there had been only one party say the UGCC then the colonial government would have handed power to their leader J.B. then he would have been the founder of Ghana, and not the so called ‘Big Six’. In this case there were two parties, the UGCC and the CPP, so an election was conducted and the CPP won so the colonial govt. Handed the administration of Ghana to the leader Kwame Nkrumah , so Kwame Nkrumah is the founder of Ghana.

Columbus discovered America, but there were other people in the vessel; Vasco Da Gama was the first European to reach India by sea, mean while the there were other sailors in the ship; Sir Francis Drake was the first man to sail round the world, he set out with five vessels and 260 or so crew and returned with one vessel and 18 men.

If the issue is about who contributed most to our attaining independence, than there would be a debate. Some will give it to Nkrumah whiles others will give it to J.B. Danquah but the question of who is the founding father is not debatable, the ‘big six’s cannot be the founding father, it is either of the two leader of the political parties, Nkrumah or J.B. and Nkrumah won so Nkrumah is Ghana’s founding father.

toryaddo@yahoo.com