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Saturday, October 2, 2010

Nkrumah Personified the Tragedy of 20th Century Africa

Gabby Otchere-Darko

In a provocative lecture delivered to Pennsylvania University students and professors last Monday (on the eve of Founder's Day in Ghana), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko described Ghana's first President as the "personification of the African tragedy of the 20th century."

He said, it was ironic, but pregnant with subconscious meaning that BBC listeners voted Kwame Nkrumah as Africa's man of the Millennium in December 1999
"Precisely because, in my view, Nkrumah's leadership epitomised the African dream that decayed, the political freedom that was won and lost, the promise that was missed, the economic experiments that led to our detriment, triggering a long, avoidable period of instability and mass poverty."

He said, Nkrumah used his charisma, energy and urgency to inspire his nation to the promise of greatness, beginning with a GDP growth of between 9.12%, rapid industrialisation and significant expansion of social programmes. However, within a decade there was decline on nearly every major front -- civil rights, democracy, and the economy suffered -- and he ended up offering to a hopeful continent a model of leadership and a paradigm of governance that left a 50-year legacy of 'Afropessimism
UNITED STATES

The head of the Accra-based governance think tank, who was in the United States for a month-long series of public engagements, stressed, "in fact, the Nkrumah failure was Africa's failure or vice versa," yet, "we are happy to hail him as Africa's Man of the Millennium."

With undisguised irony, he said the Nkrumah story captures all that was wrong with Africa in the 20th century and that was why the founder of the CPP best represents Africa's millennium -- one of avoidable failure which the leadership of this new century must fix.

"It was apt he got the vote - over Mandela and others -- even if not consciously intended for the reasons I suggest because Nkrumah's failure served not only as a microcosm of Africa's failure but as the pace-setter for that continental failure which today has the majority of our people still steep in poverty."

The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute said, Ghana, being the first Sub-Saharan nation to break away from colonial rule readily offered not only a model for independence but more importantly on how Africa's new-found self-governance and development status were to be moulded.

In his lecture, 'Challenges and Opportunities for Africa's Democracy and Development -- Ghana's Historical Pace-setter Burden', Mr. Otchere-Darko called on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to reduce their activities in Africa and, instead, redirect much more of such financial resources through the African Development Bank, which he described as "probably the greatest legacy of the defunct OAU."

Mr. Otchere-Darko praised the urgency with which the AfDB is attempting to lead the charge for Africa's development but for which it has not been receiving the commensurate funding.

"The AfDB," he said, 'continues to show unsurpassed courage and native care and wisdom that given a greater fiscal space it can better support Africa's development, especially, through the funding of essential self-paying infrastructural projects for a sustained Pan-African development."

He said, "a recent Afrobarometer survey done in East Africa showed that a vast majority of African people simply want the freedom to move and trade freely with each other across states without borders. They are not interested in either a political or defence union but in economic integration."
The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute said, Ghana, being the first Sub-Saharan nation to break away from colonial rule readily offered not only a model for independence but more importantly on how Africa's new-found self-governance and development status were to be moulded.

In his lecture, 'Challenges and Opportunities for Africa's Democracy and Development -- Ghana's Historical Pace-setter Burden', Mr. Otchere-Darko called on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to reduce their activities in Africa and, instead, redirect much more of such financial resources through the African Development Bank, which he described as "probably the greatest legacy of the defunct OAU."

Mr. Otchere-Darko praised the urgency with which the AfDB is attempting to lead the charge for Africa's development but for which it has not been receiving the commensurate funding.

"The AfDB," he said, 'continues to show unsurpassed courage and native care and wisdom that given a greater fiscal space it can better support Africa's development, especially, through the funding of essential self-paying infrastructural projects for a sustained Pan-African development."

He said, "a recent Afrobarometer survey done in East Africa showed that a vast majority of African people simply want the freedom to move and trade freely with each other across states without borders. They are not interested in either a political or defence union but in economic integration."
He also cited Nkrumah's decision to take Ghana out of the West African Airways Corporation, forcing countries like Nigeria, the Gambia and Sierra Leone to form their own airlines, none of which is around today.

Still exposing the contradictions of Nkrumah, Mr Otchere-Darko referred to Sekou Toure, the Guinean leader and close ally of Nkrumah blaming the Ghanaian leader then for allegedly causing the overthrow of Togo's first leader, Sylvanus Olympio in January 1963.

"Four months later on 25 May, 1963, the OAU was established with Nkrumah making a strong case against imperialism and calling for solidarity among Africans and on other African leaders to support his zealous push for unity."

He continued, "Unlike Ali Mazrui, I do not think that Nkrumah was just a bad leader for Ghana, but also a bad example for the very Pan-Africanism that he preached all so well, to which we are all committed today."

Mr Otchere-Darko looked at the culture of vote-rigging in Africa today and traced its roots to the first Sub-Saharan nation to gain independence.

He cited the 1964 referendum on one party state -- where over 99.91% of Ghanaians were said to have voted 'yes' for a one party state, with a shocking series of zero 'no' votes being registered even in opposition strongholds.

Again, he cited the state negligence of private enterprise for state enterprise, while the money to sponsor the parastatals was provided by private cocoa farmers.

He mentioned the 'obnoxious' 1960 constitution which effectively created a republic dictatorship -- the provisions of which have been avoided by all subsequent constitution in Ghana and other African democracies

Law to prosecute prayer camp pastors

Parliament has been asked to enact a law to prevent pastors from keeping people with HIV/AIDS at prayer camps.

Dr Sampson B. Ofori, Eastern Regional Coordinator of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), who made the suggestion, expressed worry that some people with the disease go to prayer camps instead of reporting to hospitals.

He said that some of them after taking anti-retroviral drugs and realising improvement in their health discontinue taking the drugs only to emerge at prayer camps.

Dr Ofori said that by the time they return to the hospital their health condition had gone worse.

He was speaking at a workshop organized by the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council in collaboration with ADRA-Ghana, a non- governmental organization, on stigma and discrimination for stakeholders drawn from the region on Friday.

Dr Ofori reiterated that there was no known cure for AIDS and it was only the anti-retroviral drugs that could manage the disease.

He advised people with HIV/AIDS to report at hospitals to be put on the drugs.

Dr Ofori asked Ghanaians to go for Counseling and Testing to know their HIV/AIDS status.

He advised rape victims, to go to hospital within 72 hours for drugs that would prevent them from acquiring HIV virus in case their perpetrators are carriers.

Mrs Phyllis A. Kudolo, Project Manager, ADRA, said the organization sought to reduce HIV infection among vulnerable groups and the general population.

She said the organization was also distribution condoms and undertaking Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS and fighting against stigmatization of people with the disease.

Mrs Kudolo appealed for support for the project, especially the peer facilitators of the organisation.


Source : GNA

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

AGA Forecasts Higher Gold Prices


AngloGold Ashanti, the world's third-largest gold miner, last Tuesday, forecasted that gold prices already at record highs, could rise by between $70-$100 an ounce annually over the next five years as demand from investors accelerates.

"You can add about $70 to $100 an ounce each year over the next five years," AngloGold Chief Executive, Mark Cutifani, told a teleconference.

The forecast is slightly below other forecasts, including world Number 1 gold producer, Barrick Gold's prediction of $1,500-plus next year.

Cutifani said fast-rising gold prices were outpacing increases in average global production costs now at around $950-$1,000 an ounce due to higher investment interest in both gold equities and direct investment in bullion via exchange-traded funds.

Spot gold hit an all-time high of $1,300 an ounce last Monday, extending a two-week rally on doubts of a global economic recovery soon.

Investors typically scoop up more gold when other investments, such as stocks and currencies look shaky.

The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust, stood at 1,300.521 tonnes as of Sept 24, just shy of the record 1,320.436 tonnes held on June 29.

The price of gold has risen by 18 per cent so far this year.

AngloGold shares have risen by more than per cent, compared with a 3.1 per cent rise in Johannesburg's blue-chip Top-40 index.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

President Mills leaves for Japan

Accra, Sept. 28, GNA- President John Evans Atta Mills this evening left Accra for Japan for an official state visit.

He was accompanied by government officials and a group of Ghanaian entrepreneurs who are expected to interact with their Japanese counterparts.

While in Japan, President Mills will host talks with Prime Minister Naota Kan, pay a courtesy call on this Emperor Akihito, interact with the Japan federation of economic organisation which consists of leading Japanese companies, meet with the African diplomatic corps and also host the president of the Japan International cooperation Agency.

The President who had earlier on visited China was supposed to have continued straight to Japan from China as part of his two state visit but had to come back home per a constitutional requirement to be counted for the census 2010.

The President is expected home on October 3, 2010.

At the Airport to see the President Mills off was Vice President John Dramani Mahama, Ministers of States, senior Military and Police officers.

GNA

Chinese blamed for dogs attack on Ghanaian worker

Friends of a sixty year-old security man who was attacked and almost killed by guard dogs at Teshie near Accra are blaming their Chinese employers for the incident.

Eyewitnesses say the dogs are kept by owners of China Geo Engineering Corporation, contractors working on the new Teshie General Hospital.

They say the dogs were on a stroll with one of the owners when they suddenly broke loose and pounced on the defenceless man.

A colleague of the victim has maintained that even though what happened could be described as an accident, their Chinese bosses must be blamed.

He said the dogs had attacked employees of the company on several occasions but the owners seem not to bother.

The administrator at the construction site, Joshua Bosomtwi, admitted the allegations of negligence, but said there was very little they could have done about it.

The victim is currently on admission at the La General Hospital where he is receiving treatment.


Source : Joy News/Ghana

Angry youth accuse Akyem chiefs of aiding galamsey

A group of angry youth in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area of the Eastern region, have questioned the essence of a ban on noise-making by the traditional authorities prior to the celebration of the local Ohum festival, while bulldozers and excavators used by galamsey operators make noise.

They have further expressed concern about the behaviour of some of the chiefs who they alleged had allowed the galamsey operators to function and then turn around to say they (galamsey operators) are degrading the environment. They accused the chiefs of allegedly collecting GH�2,500 from each of 10 illegal miners recently to condone their activities.

These concerns were expressed by the youth on Sunday when the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, accompanied by security personnel visited some of the sites to arrest galamsey operators.

The Security personnel arrested ten illegal miners and impounded six excavators and eight pumping machines.

Areas being excavated include sites belonging to the Abuakwa State Senior High School (ABUSCO), Kibi Teacher Education College and the Kibi School for the Deaf.

At ABUSCO, the illegal miners had mined a site for the school's football park and extended their activities close to one of the boys dormitories.

When the minister and his entourage reached the School for the Deaf, two of the operators, Kwadwo Kesse and Kwabena Kuma were busily working and the military arrested them.

The miners have diverted the Birim River about 100 meters from its course and dug trenches near the football park and a borehole for the school.

The Regional Minister did not hide his anger at the activities of the miners and the inaction of the community leaders whom he accused of sitting aloof for their land and environment to be destroyed.

“If I had my own way, I would have set fire to all the bulldozers and excavators so that they are not able to come to this area again, but the law must take its course,” he said.

He said about 80 pumping machines and several excavators had so far been impounded since the beginning of the year when the military started operations on the illegal miners.

Mr. Ampofo appealed to the Minerals Commission and the police to ensure that the laws on mining were enforced.

The minister advised the commission to involve the district assemblies in the granting of permits to miners so that the assemblies would know the areas the miners operate and control their activities. He commended the military and the police for their efforts to curb the operations of the illegal miners in the area.

The Akim Abuakwa Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Simon Peter Asirifi, expressed shock at the extent of damage to the environment and remarked: "I don't know where the people came from to work here".

Source : Ghanaian Times