If the Republic of Ghana were a person

July 1, 2024, marked sixty-four (64) years since Ghana, our beloved motherland became a Republic.

What would Ghana look like if she were a person at age 64? Since Ghana as always has been referred to as ‘mother,’ she would have more than likely mastered whatever profession she had been holding. She would probably be a grandmother with adult children.

Depending on what she does for a living, she would have gone or be getting ready for retirement from active duty. Perhaps she would have already prepared her Will in anticipation of her future exit from this world, handing over whatever she possessed to her loved ones.

But Ghana is not a person. Ghana is a nation—a republic! So how do we “judge” a republic at age 64 years old? What is our expectation?

Let’s start from the basics: what at all is a republic? According to the Oxford dictionary, a republic is a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president, rather than a monarch.

So, by this definition, the key thing about a republic is the fact that sovereignty rests with the people. This means that it is the people’s power that is transferred to their elected officials—the president, members of parliament, and politicians in general—to use in running or managing the republic for the benefit of all citizens.

It has been 64 years since the power has been with the people of Ghana. How have we, the people, through our elected (and sometimes unelected) officials run this republic? Is the Republic of Ghana where she’s supposed to be? How is she looking as a 64-year-old?

Given the myriad of problems that the country faces, if the 64-year-old Republic of Ghana were a person, we the people of Ghana would probably point a finger at her and say in Twi, our predominantly spoken local language that “wambo bra”, meaning hers has not been a life well lived.

But Ghana is not a person, so who do we point the finger at? Going back to the definition of a republic where the power rests with the people, we would have to point the finger at ourselves as the people of Ghana.

It is our fault that Ghana looks the way she does. When we sing patriotic songs such as, “…oman be ye yie aa efi yen ara, yen ara…” (“…if a nation will succeed it depends on us…”) and “Yen ara y’asaase ni…” (“this is our very own land…”) do we really take time to digest the lyrics of these songs, or do we only sing them for the sake of singing? We are Ghana, and Ghana is us! So, if Ghana is looking like hers hasn’t been a life well-lived, then it is our fault!

Fortunately, the Republic of Ghana is not a person, so 64 years is still relatively young. We can turn things around. We can make corrections by changing our attitude towards nation-building. We cannot point to our elected officials only. We must point to ourselves first.

Many well-meaning Ghanaians have been asking the same question lately, “nti Ghana be tumi aye yie” to wit: Can Ghana improve?

I believe the answer is yes, Ghana be tumi aye yie, na Ghana be ye yie nso: Ghana can and will improve. With the right change in attitude, I have no doubt that we can build the Ghana we’re all looking for.

The Ghana that would invoke the sentiment from our children, their children and future generations, that indeed “Ghana abo bra”, “Ghana afa ne ntama pa afra”, “Ghana aye yie”—that truly, hers has been a life well-lived!