After Ghana At 57 Years, What Next?

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Ghana Fan
Ghana Fan
Ghana Fan
Ghana Fan

Ghana?s independence laid the foundation for freedom on the African continent and also set the tone for economic emancipation.

We cannot be too sure whether our independence really helped to lay the foundation for a true Ghanaian identity in all fields of human endeavour.

There is no doubt about our rich and true identity, the warm nature of the people which is unequalled on the continent and the readiness of the Ghanaian to excel in any part of the globe.

Ghana blazed the trail for economic and political development at independence in 1957 and opened its doors to all freedom fighters to learn from the fountain of wisdom of our liberation fighters.

During the First Republic, the country could boast many industrial zones, with factories owned by the state and the private sector. These plants offered many jobs to school leavers, both skilled and unskilled.

Subsequent governments introduced other interventions to capture the commanding heights of the economy but none was as infectious as the Operation Feed Yourself (OFY) programme under the Acheampong regime.

The programme was so well received that almost everybody turned open spaces, including their backyards, into maize and other farms.

What this means is that good policies can change an otherwise hopeless situation into a positive one.

The last period Ghanaians were galvanised for mass action was in 1979 and 1982 when, under the leadership of Flt Lt J.J. Rawlings, there were convinced students and other mass groups to harvest sugarcane and evacuate cocoa locked up in the hinterland.

But our country needs to be put back on track where everybody will commit to support the efforts of the government to build a better Ghana.

We seem to be happy with our present status as a country that is noted as a trading post rather than an enclave for value addition to all our natural resources.

The Daily Graphic is happy that the government is determined to reverse our over-reliance on foreign imports to the detriment of local productive ventures.

Speaking at the 57th Independence Day parade at the Black Star Square in Accra yesterday, President John Mahama asked Ghanaians to declare every day ?Ghana Day? to imbibe the culture of depending on local consumption.

He again expressed concern over the high dependence on foreign products to the neglect of indigenous ones.

Local consumption must permeate all spheres of life and go beyond the present Friday wear to promote every day wear of local fabric and the regular consumption of local products to stimulate economic growth.

Our resolve to do it ourselves will also help halt the frequent fall of the cedi against all foreign currencies. If the cedi stabilises, the prices of goods and services will be affordable to all.

Daily Graphic Friday, 07 March 2014

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