Ghana has benefited from the economic and industrial development of the Republic of China due to the foundation of friendship laid by its first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Though at the initial stages of the friendship, China was not regarded as a global force and was ostracised by the Western world, Dr Nkrumah still went out of his way to establish strong ties because of the socialist principles both nations conformed to.
The Chairman of the Ghana-China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA), Anani Demuyakor, made these observations yesterday during a special ceremony in Accra to mark Dr Nkrumah’s Memorial Day.
“We will sit today and say it was not a mistake because we are all now benefiting from the rise and progress of China.
“Today, electronics especially are cost-effective in the country mostly because of China,” the GHACHIFA Chairman stressed.
The event, marked by the association and the Chinese Embassy, saw representatives lay wreaths at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in honour of the global freedom fighter’s birthday.
Dubbed; “Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day”, it is celebrated to commemorate and recognise his contributions to the development of the country, particularly as the leader of the struggle for independence from Britain.
Mr Demuyakor stated that looking at current global affairs, Dr Nkrumah’s vision and principles of a united, peaceful world were relevant now more than ever.
“We remember very well that he was deposed while away on an international peace mission in Vietnam.
So we can never celebrate Kwame Nkrumah enough, but as long as we continuously do so, we are on the right track,” he added.
The Founder of the association and former ambassador, Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, said Dr Nkrumah was the one who showed what Ghana stood for and was the main reason the nation is revered around the world; thus, it was in order to celebrate him so that the younger generation would know the things he had done.
Nkrumah’s vision, global south
The General Secretary of the association, Dr Benjamin Anyagre, said that the revered Pan Africanist’s vision of collaboration within global south nations had materialised in the form of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) alliance and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“All these things are focused on poverty alleviation, eradication of hunger and erasing hardship in society and we can see that China has today lifted about 500 million people out of the poverty line,” he stressed.
The Deputy General Secretary of the association, Wei Qiang Yang, said citizens of both countries had witnessed the immense benefits of the political relationship between them since it was established.
He, therefore, reiterated that the partnership between the two countries would continue to develop and added that “as we all know, one hand doesn’t make a sound so we clap with our two hands.
The friendship between China and Ghana shall last forever”.
Source: graphic.com.gh
