Ghana's 50th Anniversary Of Independence

From Britain, was recently marked in the West African countrt, Martin Henry of Jamaica Gleaner comments:

"Ghana's 1957 break with colonial rule, a little Reuters report tucked away on page C6 of Monday's Gleaner [March 5] reminds us, triggered a wave of independence movements and liberation struggles. There are 53 independent states on the African continent today, very few of them really prosperous or stable. Founding Father Kwame Nkrumah's dream of a New Africa, strong, free, and prosperous, was soon derailed in Ghana as his autocratic rule led to persecution of opponents and his profligate spending brought the country's economy to the brink of collapse. Nkrumah was overthrown in a coup in 1966, the first of many. Some years ago we had coup leader and head of state Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings here as guest of honour at our own Independence celebrations.

I thought it most inappropriate. Rawlings, who led two 'booms' but restored democratic elections in 1992 and has been the longest serving head of state with 19 of the 50 years, has publicly shunned the 50th anniversary celebrations in protest over the state of the country."He continues: "A BBC report for the 50th anniversary says, "[Nkrumah] had ambitious plans for his small, freshly-liberated country. His aim was to develop Ghana as an industrialised, unitary socialist state - and to do it fast. Sounding very much like our Michael Manley of the 1970s.....As the country celebrates 50 years of independence this year, it ranks No. 136 out of 177 countries on the U.N. Human Development Index but is ahead of all but five sub-Saharan African states. Not the worst; but the Nkrumah dream and the promise of first independence await a fuller fulfilment.


Booker Rising's response: "the socialist focus is what has hurt Ghana in the years since independence, from which it is now only starting to climb up. Less government and freer trade will help Ghana grow into the powerhouse that this historic nation deserves to be".

http://bookerrising.blogspot.com/