It was a powerful speech, wasn’t it? A speech that was unequivocal and straight to the point and I hope our political leaders listened and gleaned the message of wisdom that it contained. When it became light that President Obama was going to set foot on our soil, many were those who were expecting him to provide us manna from the heavens. Many a person was expecting him to line our punched pockets with dollars. Hiding under the guise of eagerly expecting his major policy statement on Africa, I had the inkling that our government and others on the continent were expecting material and financial blessings from the most astute and smart president in recent memories. And to be honest I was extremely elated about the direction and content of most of the lines of his speech. Although, he touched on some important and pertinent issues such as democracy, health, corruption, and conflicts that have bedeviled the continent for far too long, which have to be confronted head-on, his call on Africa to stand up and assume responsibility of our future was spot-on. He couldn’t have said it anywhere better than in our own backyard. I think this is the most important policy statement that one can have if they really want to make any meaningful impact in their world. It is about time that our governments understood that nobody nowhere can build our respective countries for us, but we ourselves. We are the determination and creation of our own destiny. Our continent will succeed and break away from being tied to the apron strings of the rich western countries if we take our destinies in our own hands and put our hands to the plough. Barack was just reminding us about Abraham Lincoln when he said that “you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” President Obama’s message to us on this historic moment in Accra, Ghana was to remind us about the need to follow the visions and dreams of our former leaders in the persons of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, etc., etc. The times of holding our cups in our hands soliciting alms to improve the lives of our people should be a thing of the past. Our governments should understand that they are at the helm on the continent for a reason- to think into the future and create a better world for the people. If the art of governance is only to depend on foreign governments to develop our countries and the people, then there was obviously no need to break away from the shackles of colonial domination. They should strive to judiciously utilize our natural resources to our benefits. And this can be done. Yes, we can! Let us therefore hold them accountable in ensuring that they serve the interest of the masses and not their whims and caprices. Let us put the collective good of our countries on the front burner, and our political leanings on the back burner. By so doing, nothing will stop or derail us from the path of realizing the dreams of our fathers.

For me, our leaders owe it not only to us and generations unborn, but also to our forefathers who lost their precious lives in order for us to emancipate ourselves from colonial oppression. They had a firm and unshakable faith in the African. They had the belief that the African was and is capable of managing their destiny. The essence of the liberation struggles was not for us to turn back to them for a determination about how to live our lives, but rather to chart the course of our own development in relation to our culture, beliefs, and values. Although we didn’t need President Obama to tell us to assume responsibility of our futures, I think it was a timely call from a president, though of African descent who believes that success is a function of the will and the determination to succeed and not self-pity. I hope our leaders listened to this priceless advice and will cash in on it. Yes, we are our own future. God Bless Ghana! God bless Africa!

Source: Kingsley Nyarko, PhD, Educational Consultant, IAF- Munich (kingpong73@yahoo.com)