When Ghana gained her independent. A debate engulf about where development should be centered. The opposition to Nkrumah advocated the cities; Nkrumah advocated to be spread around the whole nation particularly rural areas. Nkrumah had thinkers and pragmatic technocrat around him who had researched and understood the task and what they were doing. Their argument was that, Ghana was just trying to find her feet, if industries were harboured in cities. The government would be burdened with utilitarian infrastructure to cater for workers, with rural areas where majority of Ghanaians already lived. They cater for themselves so the government could press on with development. When the opposition gained power through coup, they went about destroying every state property and enterprises because they regarded everything as Nkrumahs property. The effect of the oppositions argument came in the late 80s to 1990s under president Jerry John Rawlings who implemented every aspects of IMF policy with a devastating effect - migration from the rural areas to the cities. President John A. Kufour also followed up IMF policy. He came clean and told Ghanaians that government do not create employment. His administration never created a single industry. He rebranded Ghana Airways to Ghana International (now defunct) , sold Ghana Telecom to Vodafone. Migration continued, exactly what his predissosor were arguing for. He created free port zone where Marks & Spencer, fair trade etc exploited Ghana labour and took home their returns tax free. So, is there cholera epidemic at the Accra in 2014? I am not surprise because President Kufour also liquidated public health body called town council and replaced it with private waste collection enterprise called zoomlion. Town council only inspected hygiene and issued fines, it was so successful that people started policing themselves to avoid being fined; Zoomlion pick waste from designated areas. Zoomlion also operates in Liberia and Sierra Leone, countries hit by ebola virus. Industries built under Nkrumah were named after the towns - Esiama oil mills, Abosso glass factory, Bonsa tire, Akosombo textile limited, Volta Aluminium company. Nsein Secondary school, Kikam Technical Secondary school, Nkroful Agricultural Secondary school, Half Assini Secondary school etc To find out more about effects of neolibra policy on migration - Planet of slum by Mike Davis (book)
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 07:56:25 +0000
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