President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said Ghana’s democratic regime may be blamed for its seeming slow development since independence.
According to him, the nation has made some strong progress in difficult democratic circumstances and citizens must look up to the gains and not project negativity.
Speaking at the 63rd Independence parade held in Kumasi, he admitted that, the country is expected to have achieved greater economic strides in its 63 years of independence but according to him, the achievement of today must be applauded as they were chalked through democracy, contrary to many other nations, who built their economies through authoritarian rule and in some instances slavery.
“We should never forget that development through the democratic process, the path we have chosen in this Fourth Republic, is not exactly the easiest governance option. Many of the countries that have made miraculous economic transformations did so, more often than not, through authoritarian regimes. In earlier times, several of the developed economies built their successes on the back of slavery and work practices that would not be tolerated in any democracy today.
“Some may admire the results of razing down whole villages and new structures appearing in weeks, but we have to ask ourselves how much regimentation needed for such things would be tolerated by the Ghanaian psyche. Or dare I ask, where we would fit in our weekend funerals to be able to put in seven-day weeks?
“We should be proud of the liberal democratic path we are treading, and unite to make it work. We could, and should be able to bring our people out of poverty and into prosperity faster. But, let us acknowledge that good things are happening in our country, and we are making progress” President Akufo-Addo said.
According to him, the country has a solid reason to rejoice, especially, for its strong democracy that has seen 28 years of stable and progressive change of power from one party to another in the 4th Republic.
“At sixty-three (63), we know that we have squandered many opportunities that, properly utilised, would have brought us to the economic breakthrough to which we aspire. We lament, and rightly so, the infrastructure deficits that plague all sectors of our lives, and the considerable number of our people who still live in poverty. But, if truth be told, we have solid reason to rejoice and be thankful to the Almighty, for this is a blessed nation.
“It is a good thing that we are usually so very hard on ourselves, and the critical voices, sometimes, drown out everything else. For as long as we have not achieved our economic goals, we cannot, and we should not, relax and be complacent. However, we should learn to count our many blessings, and not talk ourselves down unnecessarily,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo said it is not for nothing that the nation has escaped the epidemics of this world and civil wars that caused havoc to some neighboring countries at a point.
He added that the country has also done well to keep out terrorist activities and continue to maintain a peaceful and stabilized nation.
The President further went on to outline some gains including, the current state were 81 percent of the about 30 million citizens have access to potable drinking water, 85 percent electricity supply nationwide, eradication of the deadly measles, Free SHS that has made secondary education available to all and the high enrollment of girls in school.
He believes the nations has made progress in sensitizing citizens to be more aware of keeping the environment and Water bodies neat.
He noted the 41 million mobile subscriber penetration per data from the National Communication Authority, the boom being experienced in the country’s tourism and creative art industry which has endeared it to many globally and added that the lunch of the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiative will attract more investment to support economic growth.
“Some twenty-five (25) years ago, only a few wealthy people carried mobile phones: it was a status symbol, and it gave them access to opportunities that few could dream of. In the year 2000, there were ninety-thousand (90,000) mobile phone subscribers, in 2020, there are forty-one million subscriptions. Mobile subscriber penetration is bigger than the population. We are making progress.
“The digital revolution is changing the face of our society and our country, and, soon, we will take a deserved place as a modern economy. We are making progress.
“The creative arts are thriving, and there are exciting things to interest a wide range of people. The fashion scene is vibrant, and unearths new talent every day. Take a look around this stadium today, and feast your eyes on the riot of colours and the wide variety of styles that our kente weavers can conjure. Every day, this ancient, royal, eye-catching, beautiful fabric is reinvented to win over new generations. The kente, of course, has crossed over our borders, and is no longer exclusively Ghanaian, but the symbol of identity for peoples of African descent everywhere.
“Our designers, tailors and dressmakers keep Ghanaian-made clothes in the top range of attractive clothes. Art galleries are alive with established and new painters and sculptors, and there are signs of their innovative works all around us. We have always been known for musical talent, and this generation is keeping up the tradition,” the President stated.
Touching on the ensuing election, President Akufo-Addo advised that all stakeholders use decorous language and respect of views of each other to consolidate the country’s electoral gains.
“There is an Akan proverb that says: “Omanni ko, yɛko a, yɛkeka nwi so; yenntutu aseɛ.” When we fight as members of a community or family, we bite off hair; we do not uproot it.” In other words, in our gravest moments of fury, we strive to avoid bloodshed.
“The consensus is holding for all of us to work towards the prosperous, peaceful and happy Ghana we want. We all recognise that the responsibility we carry as the first sub-Saharan colonial country to gain independence is not simply to build a successful country. We owe it to the rest of the continent and the black race to demonstrate that, indeed, we can build and run a successful, prosperous and happy country. This is a task we do not shirk, and which all Ghanaians accept.
“Our pan-African vocation remains on course, as we continue to be in the frontline of the effort to forge a united Africa, and our peers have honoured and conferred on us the duty to host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area. We are making progress,” the president reminded Ghanaians.
Source: Daily Mail GH
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