50 Years Ago Today and Ghana’s Efie Nyansa

Folks- Today is January 14, and on our Ghana Leadership Union-GLU forum we read:

“This morning 50 years ago, Lt Col Kutu Acheampong was busy organising the overthrow of Dr K.A. Busia’s govt. 

The second in a series of useless military interventions in Ghana. It led to further interventions which saw the execution of political leaders for the first time in our history.

Have any lessons been learnt and has Ghana progressed much since then?”

(Kojo A. Harrison, GLU)

My response with small edits:

My broda – but nothing will change until we go back to realize what Kutu was trying to say in the 1970s – Operation Feed Yourself!

There is no more wisdom that has come to Ghana for the last 50 years beside what that Colonel we thought was uneducated and hence the “Booklong” Economists try to talk down on!

What Kutu Acheampong said was wisdom!! FEED YOURSELF means simply produce – either manufacture or/and grow most of what you consume! PERIOD! This is ancient wisdom and common sense!

During Kutu’s time as a young student at University of California at Berkeley studying Electrical Engineering & Computer Science I wrote his office to let us start naming streets and numbering Houses logically so we can build databases. I don’t think they understood it well, but at least they replied that they were “looking into it”. In 50 years since then, successive Ghanaians military and civilian leaders never reply letter anymore!! 

2. The 2nd Lesson is: Train and Utilize your own Human Resource! Common sense! 

    We need to train our Construction Artisans and workers and Auto Mechanics in the modern world to use modern tools. 

    Mere talk of “digitization” by politicians is not adequate if we cannot even name streets and number houses logically. Set aside small amount of Capital to help the artisans and mechanics! And we can retrieve that money back with license fees. 

3. Third LESSON: Stop Borrowing and cut down spending! This again the sense our forefathers taught us without the white man’s book and “book-long” as Kofi Wayo once said. 

4. Fourth Lesson: Put some of the money aside! This is called “Efie Nyansa”.  Any man or woman who does not save part of his earnings is said to be lacking in Nyansa! In my town of Abetifi Kwahu we call it “Okwasiampanin”. Means hopeless man! Not a nice word! 

5. Fifth LESSON to learn: Put aside some of state resources to help the mmobrowa small Businesses! It’s called Investing in your people! Nothing complicated about it! 

Dr. K. Danso  (Jan.14, 2022)

International President- Ghana Leadership Union (GLU)

Email: [email protected].