Ghana‘s 50th Independence Anniversary: Celebration or Wake-up call for Africa?

By Ajong Mbapndah L.

Time certainly flies!!!! And it is fifty years already since Ghana led by one of the most illustrious sons that Africa will ever have Kwame Nkrumah obtained its independence from the British. This was in 1957 and the success of Ghana spurred other nations to fight harder to gain their own independence too. Thus in the next couple of years so many other African countries will be celebrating their own golden jubilees. Fifty years is certainly a long time, that is half of a century, and anything at fifty is certainly worth celebrating. While Ghana deserves congratulations for fifty years of independence, it may be worthwhile to take a pause and reevaluate what this means not only for Ghana but for the entire continent. The anniversary should not only be an occasion for of unbridled fanfare but an opportunity to measure the road that Ghana and Africa have traveled this far. Certainly much has changed, there is a lot that should be viewed positively but at the same time there is a lot that has not been done or has been done badly and in poor taste. Many will agree that independence as good as it may be is still to yield the desired dividends. How then does Africa move forward, or what is there that can be done and how, so that in another fast fifty years when the continent will be celebrating a century of independence, there will be a lot more to smile about?

Ghana’s fiftieth independence is an opportunity for some stocktaking and serious assessment of the path that the continent has covered this far is justified by a number of reasons. Ghana epitomizes a lot about the rest of Africa. Just as it did not get its independence on a platter of gold, so too did many other countries which had to fight hard to shake of the yolk of colonialism. Just as Ghana turned its back on its brightest stars and arguably the greatest visionary that Africa has ever had, so too did other countries reject their own prophets. Just like so many African countries, Ghana formerly known as the Gold Coast because of nature’s generosity in blessing the country with vast reservoirs of gold, Ghana also is a huge producer of cocoa but has failed to derive significant benefit with fluctuations in world prices. Military coups, which wrecked havoc in a number of countries, had its toll on Ghana for several decades with irresponsible officers pushing a country headed for glory to ruins. Recession and economic crises had its own damaging effects on Ghana just as it did for the rest of the continent. After years of dictatorship, the country got back on track, returned to multi-party politics, has one of the success stories of democracy in the continent today, and its economy is once more on the rails. Ghana after all the circus, many agree, is definitely back on the right path so too are a number of African countries but it must be admitted that progress still remains in stark contrast to the immense potentials that the continent boasts of. As we approach the first decade of the much-trumpeted new millennium Africa must become more conscious of the serious challenges that it faces and exhibit more seriousness in the quest for solutions to the myriad of problems that the continent still faces.

In one of his most memorable statements Kwame Nkrumah declared,
“Seek ye first the political kingdom and all else shall be added unto you” Today there is no country in the continent that can be said to be under colonial rule especially from the imperialist but how comes that all else is still to come? The enthusiasm that greeted the dawn of independence has to many not produced the desired results. The continent for a variety of reasons some defying logic continues to be tied to the apron strings of the colonial masters. After been a battleground for leading actors in the Cold War era, Africa still has a lot of things dictated to it by outside forces that neither master the complexities of the continent nor are sensitive to its needs. There is this story about late Guinean President Sekou Toure who disguised himself to find out first hand what his country thought of independence and was outraged to find out that many of them viewed colonial rule under the French with a lot of nostalgia. So why is the political kingdom taking so long to yield the expected and desired dividends to the continent? Such should be the kind of questions that preoccupy many as the continent hits fifty years of independence.

Last month leaders or their representatives from all over the continent thronged to Cannes, France for a ritual called the France –Africa summit. That the anniversary in Ghana failed to pull the same crowd is revealing of how much our leaders (perhaps not the people) still cherish the master –servant relationship that existed in the colonial days. Such mentalities many agree transmit into economic, political and other actions that make the continent unable to break free or make extra efforts to stand on its own. Sure there is the need for international cooperation in the global village that the world has become but when we fail to show preference for inter-African cooperation, it makes the continent divided and weak in the face of outside influence. One of the pet projects of the late Kwame Nkrumah was the idea of continental unity, the idea was toyed around with , at times out rightly trivialized by many but the reality today reveals that more than ever before that vision will help the continent get the respect and standing that it deserves. Even leaders like Ghadafi of Libya see it as a matter of urgency but there are leaders who definitely use lenses of the imperialists to view Africa and will not take it serious. The African Union has been coming up with a lot of lofty ideas whose effects are still to be seen in concrete terms. That more and more leaders are emerging who see the need for stronger continental unity and solidarity is a step in the right direction.

One of the challenges that the continent is fighting hard to meet up with is the emergence of democratically elected governments. Peaceful transitions have taken place in Ghana, Mali, Namibia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Benin and others. A few years back there were only a handful of statesmen in the continent who had either voluntarily left power or quit through the verdict from polls, or edged out through military coups which were stock in trade in most countries in the late sixties, seventies, and eighties .Today coups are more of an exception than the rule. The continent today has its own statesmen who are highly respected as Joachim Chissano former President of Mozambique, Mathieu Kerekou former President of Benin, Sam Nujoma, former President of Namibia, Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Quett Masire of Botswana and many others. Towering above them is the iconic figure of Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Though conflicts are still far too many for comfort around the continent, the emergence of more democratically elected governments is doing much to reduce the number. It is the new generation of emerging leaderships that give the continent much to hope about as the sit tight leaders who still hang on to office in countries like Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and a few others are completely out of tune with visions and the revolutionary zest that can see the continent make giant strides of progress.

At fifty the continent needs to have more self believe and be more self-reliant. Unfortunately there still seems to be a lot of dependency on the outside world for even basic things that we have or for services that Africans can render better. The resources that the continent boasts of are either underutilized or are auctioned at give away prices by unscrupulous leaders to special friends from the west. Despite the ravaging effects of HIV/AIDS not much is done to support researchers and their work despite the commendable efforts there continue to put in over the years. It paradoxical that in some countries leaders have no faith in the medical facilities preferring to seek treatment abroad each time there catch even minor ailments. Governance in a lot of countries does not reflect ambitions expected of the continent. Nkrumah’s vision also placed a premium on industrialization but the situation in both Ghana and the rest of Africa remains dismal. Africa with all its abundant resources is still to reap any significant benefits. Hitherto called the Gold Coast, a meticulous head count may only show a handful of Ghanaians in possession of gold plated ornaments, the price that the hard working cocoa farmer in Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon gets for his labour is often not enough to afford a tin of chocolate for his family at breakfast. For all the diamonds that are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia et all, you will hardly find nationals able to afford for the fancy jewellery , despite its prominent presence in the elite oil producing cartel in the world OPEC, Nigerians have for years faced severe fuel problems. So what is really the problem and for how long will this frustrating situation persist? These are some of the serious issues that Africa has to grapple with as it hits fifty years of independence. Dissatisfaction with the present will form the basis for formulating policies and outlining blue prints that will make the next fifty years full achievements greater than we can boast of at the moment.

There maybe a number of reasons advanced to account for Africa to live up to the expectations after achieving independence. Neo colonialism too many is one of them but the kind of leaderships in many countries have been saddled have not been of great help either. In many African countries one must admit a lot more atrocities have been committed than there were during the colonial era. From the Biafra war in Nigeria, to civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and others, precious blood has been shed and productive Africans who may have contributed in the development process of the continent cut in their prime. Agreed the tree of liberty must be watered from time to time by the blood of patriot and tyrants alike as a famed American patriot once opined but have there been enough dividends out of all the conflicts? Have there been dividends at all? Was there really anything to justify the Rwandan genocide for instance? Nkrumah must be shaking his head in sorrow at the plight of the continent he attracted so much enmity and hatred all over the world for trying to give it a noble vision.

The situation as it stands today gives room for hope. The African Union albeit with limited successes this far is trying to show it has potential to be a lot more than a fraternity of comrades with dubious legitimacies. The continent is getting greater attention on the international scene and there is a new generation of more patriotic and visionary leadership emerging in an increasing number of countries. With a civil society that is getting more vibrant by the day, the governments are learning that without accountable leaderships, sojourns in power may either be brief or very bumpy and tumultuous for them. The resources of the continent make it a favorite of serious courtship on the part of leading super powers today. The soccer World Cup arguably one of the most viewed sporting events in the world will be coming to Africa in 2010 for the first time. This in itself is a landmark event, which can only give reasons for hope. The Ghanaian celebrations reportedly gulped circa $20 million. Considering the penchant for some of African leaders for unbridled spending for fanciful fanfare void of sustainable substance, we are tempted to believe that other countries will spend either similar amounts or more as there clock fifty years of independence too. While the celebration galore rumbles on it may be worthwhile again to do a thorough self-assessment of what independence has done for Africa, what it has meant to the people. Have the countries lived up to expectations? The answer to many will be no. Could Ghana and the other countries that will soon be clocking fifty have done better? The answer maybe an emphatic yes. Are there possibilities that the next fifty years could be better? Another emphatic yes because the continent has the potentials, and the resources to undergo profound transformation before its clocks a century of independence. There is a reason to nurse hope and sustain visions that will help make the continent the admiration, envy and reference of others and not vice versa.

Ajong Mbapndah L is a Jurist, Pan Africanist, and Democracy Advocate from Cameroon. Email ajonglaur@yahoo.com