A LOUD APPLAUDS FOR GHANA

One of the most quoted words by many Ghanaian Pan-Africanists when it comes to Ghana’s role in helping shape the ‘African Agenda’ is the one by Kwame Nkrumah, on the night of Independence, some 57 years ago at the Old Polo Grounds: ’The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of the African continent’.

Years on, Ghana has not deviated from this ‘destiny’. Ghana continues to, after helping in the liberation of the continent from the jaws of colonialism and shaping its destiny,  play such a vital role in the affairs of  African,  here at home (Africa) and abroad.

Despite the myriad of challenges (as they prefer to call it) the government faces -with inflation, high commodity prices, power outages, strikes and corruption- the government is getting praised on the international front for doing for her neighbours what they wish to be done for them; helping establish Ghana’s image as a major leader or force in the geo-political arena of West Africa and Africa at large. A modern quintessential neighbour with conscience.

Since the outbreak of the Ebola menace, Ghana has not relented in helping out with efforts to remedy the devastating effects of the disease. Already, a United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) Centre as well as a logistics centre has been established here in Ghana.

There is also news that West African leaders shall converge in Accra once again to discuss the ravaging effect of Ebola and seek consensus on ways to help fight the pandemic.

This great country of ours is weighing in on the option of hosting the 2015 African Cup of Nations, which Morocco; the original host of the up-coming football fiesta has backed out citing Ebola as a chief reason. South Africa has declined to host pointing to the Ebola pandemic and their fiscal incapacity.

This is not the first time Ghana has exhibited a sense of ‘benevolence’ to other nations in distress. In the earlier stages of the Ebola pandemic, President John Mahama sent out relief, made up of food and other consumables to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. When the 2012 earthquake reduced Haiti to rubles, the government of Ghana was there to offer 3 Million dollar assistance to the country.

Ghana has also been pivotal in the security front in Africa by contributing troops to conflict regions and international peace keeping efforts. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda and Lebanon come to mind. In the wake of the Ivorian conflict of 2012, Ghana played host to the thousands of refugees who took asylum here. A whole ‘city’ has been shaped out of a stretch of land given by the government to shelter refugees from Liberia-Buduburam Camp. These nations have not stopped offering their heartfelt gratitude to this lovely brother called Ghana.

When the African Union was seeking a way to prevent the ‘madness’ that once engulfed Liberia from occurring again and also see the bloodless exit of the notorious warlord Charles Taylor from power in 2003, guess which country offered herself to host it-Ghana.

As a Ghanaian, I’m proud to see such feat being chalked by my country. That, my country, continues to play a big role in the geo-politics of West Africa, Africa and the world when the need has arisen. I’m happy the destiny fashioned for the country by the founding father of this republic-to play a leading role in the continent’s affairs-has been pursued by successive governments with unflinching vigour.

It is, however, my hope that the zeal Ghana expresses in helping deal with the ‘African Problem’ would be employed in same measure to resolving some of the major challenges that blight the country’s strides in becoming great as envisaged by Kwame Nkrumah on 6^th March, 1957.