Today, March 06, 2023, marks 66 years since Ghana made history as the first sub-Saharan African country to have gained independence from colonial rule. One significant feature about this milestone is the country’s firm grip on democratic rule, especially in the last 30 years, which has brought in its wake political stability and relative socio economic development. Over the past three decades, it has experienced one of the world’s most successful transitions to multiparty democracy, and it is one of the few emerging democracies which has taken root. This is no small achievement, particularly in a multi-ethnic setting, and also at a time when the sub-Region is plagued with varied political upheavals, ranging from military adventurism to terrorist attacks. ‘We have, in this period, experienced, through the ballot box, the transfer of power from one ruling political party to another on three occasions in conditions of peace and stability, without threatening the foundations of the state,’ says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. That, he said, had brought with it more or less ‘systematic economic growth, and boosted immensely our self-confidence’. According to research from Afrobarometer, three out of four Ghanaians are satisfied with the quality of the country’s democracy and what it can deliver – an approval rating that would be the envy of many other countries. Ghana has a long history of tolerance and accommodation. State formation processes and state-society relations based on the promotion of social cohesion and a unified ‘Ghanaian identity’ emerged early on, and the notion of a social contract linking state and citizens has been an integral part of its state-and-nation-building project from the start. Leaders and both formal and informal institutions have fostered inclusion and incorporation in ways that transcend narrower ties based on kinship or ethnicity. And an expanding, more urban, and increasingly educated middle class has been actively engaged in political processes and is deeply committed to the country’s democratic values. President Nana Akufo-Addo, addressing the 2023 President’s Independence Day Awards’ ceremony, in Accra, recently, acknowledged that the country over the years had made some progress, however, a lot more ought to be done. ‘The strides for national development and prosperity demand hard work,’ he noted. According to him, the people must muster the patience to accept that ‘just as our fight for freedom and independence was not achieved in a day, so too national prosperity will not come overnight.’ ‘We will have to work hard for it,’ he said. In his submission, he stressed the need for the citizenry ‘to eschew all acts of divisiveness and self-centredness – tendencies which will only retard our forward march.’ ‘In peace and in unity, I am certain that we can build a new Ghanaian civilisation which will attract the admiration of Africa and the world. ‘We still have a long way to go,’ the President cautioned. Indeed, as Ghana marks 66 years of independence on the theme: ‘Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose’, it is appropriate that the nation takes a critical look at the journey so far, and the challenges ahead. Issues ranging from environmental degradation, global warming, maternal mortality, poverty, indiscipline and corruption on the part of the citizenry, as well as the emerging threat of terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa ought to be tackled head-on.
Source: Ghana News Agency
