[ 2021-02-25 ]

Yankah dismisses claim that Nkrumah squandered foreign resources
Founder of the African University College of
Communication (AUCC) Kojo Yankah has dismissed
claims that Ghana’s first President Dr Kwame
Nkrumah wasted foreign resources left by the
British colonial masters.

In a write up to mark 55 years since the overthrow
of Dr Kwame Nkrumah on Wednesday, February 24, Mr
Yankah catalogued the developmental projects that
Dr Nkrumah embarked upon using Ghana’s
resources.

He said “I am reading elsewhere the propaganda
spread about Kwame Nkrumah ‘squandering’
foreign resources left by the British.

“Considering that Kwame Nkrumah did not build
one house for himself or for his family; and that
he did not even know what foreign account meant to
him, let us consider only a few of what he spent
the reserves on: In the Health sector, Nkrumah’s
government built Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,
made Korle Bu a Teaching Hospital and expanded its
capacity by adding on Medical, Maternity, Surgical
and Child Health blocks.

“Nkrumah established the Ghana Medical School,
provided Free Medical Care to ALL citizens; and
established GIHOC Pharmaceuticals which was to
become the leading pharmaceutical industry in West
Africa; built several hospitals and clinics.
Factories and Industries?

” Every region had at least one factory.
Examples: Aboso Glass Factory in Western Region;
Zuarungu Meat Factory in the Northern Region;
Wenchi Tomato Factory in Brong Ahafo Region;
Akosombo Textiles Limited in Eastern Region;
Pwalugu Tomato Factory in the North; Kumasi Shoe
Factory, Kumasi Jute Factory in Ashanti Region,
Kade Match Factory in Eastern Region; Nsawam
Cannery in Eastern Region; Bolgatanga Meat
Processing Factory and many more. Ghana had a
shipping line, Black Star Line, with 15 ships.

“Ghana Airways Corporation, Ghana National
Trading Corporation, COCOBOD, VALCO, State Hotels
Corporation, Tema Oil Refinery, Ghana Film
Industry, GHAPOHA etc were all established under
Nkrumah. Tema Township was created to accommodate
a new port city outside Takoradi. Several Estates
were spread out in Accra and Kumasi. Within the
same 10 years, Kwame Nkrumah established the Ghana
Education Trust to build a number of secondary
schools like Mfantsiman Secondary School, Winneba
Secondary School, Ofori Panin Secondary School,
Apam Secondary School, Dormaa Secondary School,
Techiman Secondary School, Labone Secondary
School, Oda Secondary School, Swedru Secondary
School, among others.

“Eight training colleges were also built at the
same time. With universities and technical
colleges, I can name only a few: Ghana Nautical
College (now Regional Maritime University), Kumasi
Technical Institute, Ajumako School of Languages,
Accra Polytechnic now Accra Technical University,
the University of Science Education (now
University of Cape Coast (UCC), Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology (KNUST),
Institute of African Studies, Kwame Nkrumah
Institute of Economics and Political Science (now
south campus of UEW), made the University of Ghana
(then University College of Gold Coast affiliated
to the university of London) a full-fledged
university to award its own degrees and became
their first chancellor, among others.

“Yes, Ghana under Nkrumah supported a number of
African countries to attain their liberation and
independence to make the Organization of African
Union possible. On Ghana’s independence day,
Martin Luther King was invited to take inspiration
from Ghana’s achievement. Then followed George
Padmore, WEB Du Bois, Dr Lee, Muhamed Ali, and
others to strengthen Nkrumah’s Pan Africanist
agenda.No attempt to denigrate or reduce Kwame
Nkrumah’s pre-eminent role in Ghana and
Africa’s development will succeed. Rather, we
should ask ourselves, “What went wrong” and
continue to build from there.”

Source - 3 News

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