SFG’S STATEMENT ON THE 64TH ANNIVERSARY OF GHANA’S INDEPENDENCE

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STATEMENT ON THE 64TH ANNIVERSARY OF GHANA’S INDEPENDENCE
On the 64th anniversary of Ghana’s independence the Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) celebrates the generation of Ghanaians who fought so fearlessly, selflessly and with such vision to collapse colonialism across our continent and to develop alternative democratic models for building a post-colonial Africa. We also extend solidarity to today’s militants of the African revolution everywhere.
6th March 1957, dawned with great promise to the people of Gold Coast. It was a critical victory over harsh colonial rule and the political triumph of people of the Gold Coast, ably led by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention People’s Party (CPP).

Political independence was not an end in itself. It meant we had gained the right to elect leaders who would advance our struggle to take control of our resources and plan an independent, productive, and equitable national economy focused on the needs of the Ghanaian masses
rather than the profits of Western capitalists and their local allies. It meant that Ghanaians could collectively and scientifically provide jobs, education, healthcare, housing services for all.

It meant that we could free ourselves from the backward and elitist cultures and institutions imposed on us by imperialism and impose a democratic civil authority over the colonial landed elite hiding behind false claims of “tradition” to exploit rural workers. It meant that we could
begin to break down colonial barriers between “Ghanaians” and our geographical and historical neighbours and build united African institutions that could protect our nationalist gains and
offer the world a new pan-African dynamic – just, prosperous, confident, creative, and open.

At home, under Nkrumah, Ghanaians made tremendous strides towards economic emancipation. We built 400 factories strategically located and linked to our domestic resource base and skills distribution. We reorganized rural production and introduced cooperative
production that allowed systematic mechanization and that challenged the feudal ethnic land relations that had held our people back for generations. We built an entirely new industrial city
– Tema with a major seaport and reliable electricity, water, transportation, and housing infrastructure to lead the national industrial take-off and connected to the commercial capital
by a state-of-the-art motorway. We embarked on planned community development with Tema as the flagship.

To power all these revolutions, we built the World’s largest hydro-electrical dam and the power grid to deliver electricity to all parts of our country in phases. We connected Ghana as it had never been done before with road and other infrastructure that departed from the colonial practice of connecting natural resource production areas to export facilities for the export of all our wealth. To lead in further developing the productive infrastructure Ghanaians built and staffed schools (an increase of more than 1000 percent in basic schools in a decade) and provided fee-free education at all levels.
We established two new state universities – with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi focusing on the development (not just the teaching) of science and technology and with University of Cape Coast (originally the University College of Science Education) working to produce principally science graduate science teachers able to revolutionize learning for our youth and indeed everyone.

We built the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to encourage the application of science to the resolution of concrete problems that an independence and development threw at us. We built the Institute for African Studies to develop our understanding and respect for our African heritage and to curate for all humanity the contributions of our great continent to global civilization.

From independence up to the counter-revolution of 24 February 1966, Ghana magnificently lived up to Osagyefo’s seminal declaration that “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of the African continent”. Ghana provided intellectual, political, diplomatic, military, and material assistance to African liberation movements.

Ghana became an important centre for struggle against all forms of racism and discrimination and for the realization of the hopes and aspirations of oppressed people everywhere. Ghana was a haven for those fleeing from repressive anti-people regimes in Africa and elsewhere. Ghana was a powerful voice in the struggle for peoples’ self-determination, cultural sovereignty, unity, and peaceful development.

In a cruel irony of history, it was precisely during a peace mission to Hanoi that Imperialism and its treacherous allies in the Ghana Armed Forces and Police were able to execute Nkrumah’s overthrow. It was this prominence and the Ghana revolution’s daily vindication in every sphere of life of the potency of democratic planning, and democratic solidarity compared to the “underdevelopment” of the preceding centuries of capitalist rule that maddened the big companies and the military and intelligence services that they control that caused such an uproar in the West. It was the exposure in Africa and elsewhere of the divisive, reactionary, wasteful, and backward ideology and politics of imperialism that guaranteed that these forces would move to plot Nkrumah’s violent overthrow.

Just last week we spoke of the terrible damage that the 1966 coup did to the Ghana Project and how costly the struggle across Africa has been in the last 55 years because of it. Every year we mark Ghana’s day of shame and the political mistakes that allowed imperialism to penetrate and wound us so deeply. We will continue to do so until final victory is achieved in Ghana and Africa.
But every year too, just 10 days after Ghana’s Day of Shame, we are blessed to remember our Day of Glory – and what that meant for Ghana and Africa. On March 6, we are re-inspired to continue the struggle. On March 6, we celebrate the sacrifices of many thousands across the continent who have paid the ultimate price for our coming victory.

On March 6 too, we celebrate today’s militants in all of Africa’s seven regions; women and men of every race, language, and religion, who hold that torch of dignity, freedom and continental unity high against terrible odds. On March 6, we see and know that the light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it! On March 6, we know our day will come!
We salute you all in Nkrumah’s name.
Long live Ghana!
Long live Africa and Pan-Africanism!
There is indeed victory for us!
Kwesi Pratt Jnr
For Convener.