Hail Ghana at 58
Ghana has come a long way in its strides to develop an egalitarian society in which the needs of majority of the people are met.
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The growth in the economy, the growing population, our successes in the democratic dispensation, and the adoption of technological innovation indicate that we are on the path towards progress.
However, looking at the gains chalked up during the First Republic under the leadership of President Kwame Nkrumah, we can conclude that in certain spheres of life, we may be retrogressing.
Most of the landmarks put up during the First Republic are either in serious state of disrepair or have collapsed completely and are not contributing anything to nation building.
There was a lot of optimism about the future of this country at independence although certain elements thought Ghana was not ripe for nationhood on March 6,1957.
Our compatriots who were of age at the time of independence saw the euphoria that greeted the declaration of independence at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra on that historic day.
Even those not in the camp of the then administration saw some silver lining in the horizon and were ready to co-operate with the government to run the affairs of the state.
We have come a long way from independence with a rich history of ups and downs but that is to be expected of any society of divergent backgrounds and with diverse opinions.
In the pursuit of our national and individual dreams, there must have been bottlenecks over the past 58 years.
Nonetheless, it will not be truly correct to conclude that the 58 years’ journey has been a wasted effort.
Admittedly, at certain stages of the journey, it was as if all hope was lost especially during the military interregnum when the soldiers trampled on personal freedoms and civil liberties.
Whatever the challenges have been over the years, today is worth celebrating because without that declaration on March 6,1957 we would probably still have been under colonial rule.
The country may not have attained the level of development that we envisaged at independence, considering the problems we face now such as degraded environment, schools without teachers and the necessary infrastructure, hospitals without doctors and nurses, bad roads, and economic hardships.
Faced with almost three years of electricity load management otherwise known as ‘dumsor, dumsor’, it will be difficult for majority of our people to offer a worthwhile testament of 58 years of nationhood.
Be that as it may, we should not focus only on the economic attainment but also to look at the significance of independence.
The Daily Graphic believes that these are positive dividends to be derived from the freedom we gained at independence.
It has not all been rosy but we are learning from the mistakes in order to make headway in the future.
The peace, stability, and freedom dividends we enjoy are priceless and these gains have helped us to stand tall in the comity of nations and touted as the most peaceful country on a turbulent continent.
The Daily Graphic holds the view that the challenges of our times do not devalue the significance of Ghana’s independence or the independence of any other country.
We salute all the people who led the fight for our independence, our leaders who have ruled Ghana from then to now and all Ghanaians for their forbearance.
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