Time to celebrate Nkrumah, Time to celebrate his vision
of socio-economic development -
World Bank
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
The World Bank Ghana Office has joined the Government and
people of Ghana in commemorating the 100th birthday of
Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
In a press release issued and signed by the World Bank
Country Director for Ghana, Mr. Ishac Diwan, it stated that
the vision for a better future developed so eloquently by
this great son of Africa still drives this nation’s work,
and ours, today. His words of wisdom remain alive with
meaning and urgency:
"We shall measure our progress by the improvement in the
health of our people; by the number of children in school,
and by the quality of their education; by the availability
of water and electricity in our towns and villages, and by
the happiness which our people take in being able to manage
their own affairs..." Broadcast to the Nation. December 24,
1957.
His ambitious vision for the modernization of Ghana lives
on. Some of it has been achieved through hard work -- his,
and that of successive Governments. Nkrumah’s early efforts
have allowed Ghana today to be one of the countries in
Africa with the highest electricity coverage of about 65%
and literacy rate of about 70%. His emphasis on national
value addition through the accumulation of capital and
skills, and through innovation and hard work, and his
ability to mobilize people in Ghana and beyond on the path
of social, economic and political emancipation are as
relevant today as yesterday.
But much remains to be done. The lesson of the past decades
is that while progress is possible, it is not easy, and the
road is full of ambushes and unexpected difficulties, it
added.
There are many aspects of Nkrumah’s vision which we, at the
World Bank identify with. We have financed projects that
range from the development of electricity, national highways
and ports, health (including insurance), education
(including higher and vocational education), and to
agriculture (including cocoa rehabilitation and irrigation),
just to mention a few. We are now poised to support the
emerging oil and gas sector and help develop local
capacities in science and technology and creative
industries, while emphasizing the strengthening of
institutions to promote transparency and accountability.
“We pledge on this day to continue to work with Ghanaians in
all spheres of life to identify and eliminate the
constraints that remain, or the new ones that emerge, so
that together we call all strive to advance Ghana’s
socio-economic development”, the release indicated.
Ghanadot
