Dr K.A. Busia
A lecture to be held at the Ghana International Conference Centre (GICC) is part of elaborate arrangements to commemorate the 40th anniversary since the transition of the late Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia; his sister, Anti Amma Busia, has told DAILY GUIDE.
The lecture, whose special guest of honour is President Akufo-Addo, is expected to be graced by many personalities from academia and politics.
Dr. K.A. Busia was Prime Minister in the Second Republic between 1969 and 1972, and was credited with a lot of development activities, especially in the rural parts of the country.
His Centre for Civic Education made important impact on the lives of Ghanaians especially school children, who were freely distributed with the publication ‘Courtesy for Boys and Girls’ which was aimed at instilling discipline and etiquette in children.
The President’s presentation would give an important insight into the life of this illustrious Ghanaian who touched many lives during his life.
Anti Amma, an elder of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), fondly remembers her brother so much that she would not blink an eye before narrating his biography when prompted to do so.
“This event scheduled for Tuesday 28th August, 2018, at the International Conference Centre would be the third time we are commemorating his transition,” she told DAILY GUIDE in a brief interview.
Dr. K.A. Busia was one of Ghana’s early intellectuals whose name resonates locally and beyond the country’s borders. His resistance to the dictatorship visited upon the country shortly after independence and the consequences thereof are well documented.
A Daily Graphic edition of Monday, March 22, 1971, carried a story headlined ‘Bribery-Our Main Problem’ in which the Prime Minister was quoted as saying, ‘Bribery and Corruption have eaten so deep into the very fabric of the society that when you put anybody in a position of trust, he or she uses that position to amass wealth.’
The late Prime Minister’s remarks were as good then as they are today suggesting therefore that the cankerworm is deeply rooted in the country and would require sincere commitment of all Ghanaians to eradicate it or even reduce it to the barest minimum.
His regime was truncated by military adventurists whose assurance of redeeming the country ushered in a long reign of unfulfilled promises.
The lecture would be a rare opportunity for many Ghanaians especially the youth to learn about the country’s pathfinders who have left their indelible footprints on the country’s sand of history.
By A.R. Gomda