Ghana is a great country and will ever be so. The foundation of our independence was well laid by all who fought for our nation to be independent. The question of what type of Ghana we wanted was settled at independence that we want a unitary state that would grow with its own distinctive culture fashioned from the many that existed and that vision should never be diluted into an impoverished monoculture of mediocrity.

At 62, we have done well and there is a lot to celebrate. We have survived military interventions in our democracy and we are still standing. we have managed to prevent the ethnic conflicts that have afflicted other nations and we hope that we shall continue to denounce any hegemony.

socially

But we have also thrived if not as well as we should. our health system is undergoing gradual improvement and we still have the good sense to care for our old, we have prioritised education to make it free and accessible to all, let us hope that we are not tempted to privatise it. as we deepen the curriculum we know that we have to prepare the young for the high-value jobs of the future global economy, so we must fashion a way of ensuring that science and technology becomes a priority of a curriculum. we need to build more houses for the future – not in Accra if we are serious about developing other regions and this must be a government effort, not only will this stimulate the economy but it will help the government in power to fulfil its oft bandied slogan of a property-owning democracy, a slogan that continues to ring empty because there is no space for it in their manifesto.

economically

We must strengthen our economy, no amounts of macroeconomic adjustments will help transform our economy – it is the microeconomics that is important and therefore we need to do something and I really mean a lot about support for small businesses, I mean a lot. funding, training, advice and support, premises and help with information and policies that will enable them to thrive to be the desired engine of growth of our economy. we need to ensure that they flood the market with desirable and affordable goods and after the people are satisfied can they then be assisted to export and made ready to tackle the global market. they will also create the jobs that we so desperately need for our young ones.

politically

strengthening our democracy means party politics at the ward level, we cannot afford the luxury of government still continuing to appoint assemblymen and women. the people have to elect them and also to elect their leaders of the local councils and then the regional councils. we cannot give up and the fight against corruption, it is an obligation of the government but the government needs the help of the people and we cannot achieve anything to deter, detect and defeat corruption if we do not set up a commission on corruption!
so happy birthday Ghana, a matured 62! a socially desirable country, an economically thriving country and a politically discerning nation within a liberated and united Africa.

Nkrumah never dies!