Ghana, "booms" behind it, seeks more prosperity

ACCRA (Reuters) - Born on the day Ghana became independent, Godson Dag-Sosu has seen coups, food shortages and power cuts during his 50 years of life.

After a chequered independent history, punctuated by a spate of military takeovers known locally as "booms", Ghana stands as one of Africa's most respected democracies -- an enviable status in a region racked by coups and wars right up until this decade.

As Ghana turned independent on March 6, 1957, the West African country's first president Kwame Nkrumah told his fellow citizens: "Ghana, your beloved country is free for ever."

It was an epoch-making proclamation that ushered in an era of independence for Africa after centuries of invasion, slavery and colonial rule.

Under the charismatic pan-African leader Nkrumah, the former British colony of Gold Coast, rich in palm oil, gold and cocoa, became the first black African country south of the Sahara to shake off colonial rule.

The Golden Jubilee independence anniversary, which is being marked by lavish celebrations attended by world dignitaries, has prompted much soul-searching among Ghanaians.

"I can only thank God that I have reached this age. We have seen so many problems here in Ghana," said Dag-Sosu, who trained as a mechanic but now works in a travel agency.

Many Ghanaians see peace as the country's greatest achievement today -- that and the fact their country gave the world former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who ended a 10-year tenure as the planet's top diplomat in December.

"We have been able to stand tall internationally because of our political stability. That is a towering achievement," said Franklin Cudjoe of the Ghanaian think-tank Imani.

"We have produced Kofi Annan. We have contributed to world peace. Our troops are everywhere," he added, he said, referring to the Ghanaian peacekeepers who have served in U.N. peacekeeping missions from Liberia to Lebanon.

INDEPENDENCE WAVE

Ghana's 1957 breakout from colonialism triggered a wave of independence movements and liberation struggles that changed the map of the African continent.

In less than two decades, the patchwork of colonial dominions carved up by European powers at the end of the 19th century became a constellation of brave new states.

"Ghana's main achievement has been political stability and the leadership role we played in Africa ... we were active in the fight for the independence of other African countries," said human rights lawyer Nana Oye Lithur.

But Nkrumah's dream for a New Africa, strong, free and prosperous, rapidly turned sour in Ghana as his personalised rule led to persecution of opponents and his profligate spending brought the country's once-rich economy to collapse.  

He was overthrown in a coup in 1966 -- one of a spate of military takeovers that rippled across the continent and stained independence dreams with bloodshed.

Ghana stumbled from coup to coup until Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, himself a leader of two "booms" in 1979 and 1981, restored democratic elections in 1992.

Current President John Kufuor, who was elected in 2000, is due to stand down at elections in 2008.

Known as the "Gentle Giant", Kufuor has won international praise as a promoter of democracy, a status recognised in his appointment this year as African Union chairman.

Unlike oil-rich neighbour Nigeria, which has been torn by ethnic and religious violence, analysts say Ghana has largely succeeded in forging a sense of national identity. That is another achievement attributed to Nkrumah.

Under his rule, legislation prevented parties forming along ethnic lines. A system of boarding schools brought children of different backgrounds together, inculcating a sense of unity.

What is now Ghana fused the ancient Ashanti kingdom with a sliver of what was once Togoland and the traditionally Muslim north, which remains poorer than the more developed south.

A strong sense of national identity may guard against conflict, but for ordinary Ghanaians it does not necessarily help put food on the table.

For Dag-Sosu, the African nation's greatest failing has been the slow pace of economic development.

He does now have water and electricity at home -- a luxury absent from his childhood -- and can provide for an education for his children. He could not afford to finish secondary school.

But he still lacks fulfilment. "Just imagine, I was born on Independence Day and I don't have anything. I don't have a house and I don't have a car," he said.

"Economically we could have achieved more, but at least we are still going forward," he added.

Compared with many struggling West African economies, Ghana can boast steady growth, low inflation, and rising gold and cocoa output that has attracted foreign investors.

But Ghana's achievements pale when compared with the South Asian economies, such as Malaysia and South Korea, that it saw as equals in the 1950s. While they embraced industrialisation, Ghana remained heavily reliant on agriculture, analysts say.

Ghanaians expect much more from the next 50 years.

"There are a lot of things we have to achieve, I pray our leaders will focus on education and hospitals," Dag-Sosu said.

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