As Ghana marks the birthday and legacy of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, it is not enough to admire his vision in history books or to lay wreaths in his honour.
True celebration lies in aligning today’s national policies with the ideals he championed, namely, economic independence, self-reliance, and industrial transformation.
Nkrumah warned that political independence without economic liberation would leave Ghana and Africa vulnerable to new forms of domination.
More than six decades later, that warning rings true.
Ghana’s overreliance on the export of raw cocoa, gold, and oil, coupled with recurring debt crises, has left our economy exposed.
The irony is stark: we remain one of the world’s leading cocoa producers, yet we import chocolate; we sit on vast gold reserves, yet we continue to struggle with debt distress.
If we as a people are to honour Nkrumah truly, then we must chart a bold economic path.
This begins with value addition, processing cocoa into finished products, refining gold and other minerals locally, and developing an integrated petrochemical industry.
It requires revitalising industrial policies that support local manufacturing, protect infant industries, and create decent jobs for the youth.
Equally urgent, in our view, is fiscal discipline. Ghana cannot continue the cycle of borrowing to fund consumption.
Investment must be channelled into infrastructure, technology, and human capital development rather than short-term political projects.
In this regard, Nkrumah’s emphasis on science and technical education remains a guidepost.
Our educational system must evolve to equip young Ghanaians with skills for innovation, research, and entrepreneurship.
Regional integration also offers an opportunity that Nkrumah foresaw.
The Ghanaian Times is excited the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is headquartered in Accra, making Ghana uniquely positioned to lead Africa’s economic transformation.
But this potential will only be realised if we build competitive industries at home and create policies that make Ghanaian businesses thrive within the continental market.
Nkrumah’s vision was ambitious, sometimes controversial, but always forward-looking. To celebrate him today is to recommit ourselves to building a Ghana that is not only politically free, but economically resilient and globally competitive.
Anything less reduces his towering legacy to mere symbolism.