Ghana lost its direction after independence – Prof Yaw Adu-Gyamfi – Nsemkeka
Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Professor Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, says Ghana has not lived up to the promise of independence.
Speaking on The Sages on JoyNews, Prof Adu Gyamfi said that although the country began with a strong sense of vision and national purpose, it lost its direction shortly after independence.
“No because soon after independence we lost our purpose, our direction. There was quite a nice vision even pre-dating Nkrumah, and there was unlike whatever has been written by many people, there was a kind of unity of purpose. There was nationalism also and there was patriotism.
When you went out you wanted to come back. You didn’t want to stay out there. You wanted to come back to assist.”
He noted that Ghana had the opportunity to lead on energy planning and infrastructure but failed to anticipate future demand, which has affected sustainable development.
“The main plans for development I think we started off in a way, energy for instance, at Akosombo. It shouldn’t have been just at Akosombo. We should have tapped into all kinds, or we should always be ahead of our needs in terms of energy.”
“What I’m saying is that the anticipation should be that there will always be an excess to allow continued expansion of the economy. Not wait for a shortage before you plan for it. You waste a lot of time and a lot of resources.”