BUSIA AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT BY PROF. GEORGE GYAN-BAFFOUR, MP FOR WENCH AT A SYMPOSIUM ORGANISED BY BUSIA INSTITUTE FOR RURAL AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT (BIRDD) IN SUNYANI THE COMMEMORATION OF THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROF. K. A. BUSIA’S ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE AS PRIME MINISTER OF GHANA OCTOBER 1, 2014 Mr. Chairman, Forty five years ago today democracy was born in this land. Flesh was given to the soul of democracy that had wandered this land for several decades earlier spearheaded by Dr. J. B Danquah and his colleagues in the UGCC and its antecedent associations, groups and societies. The man who led in putting the brick and mortar of democracy together on that 1st. Day of October 1969 was Dr. K. A. Busia. He was a man of multiple personalities in a positive way. He was a politician, an academician, a writer, and a religious man. Underlying all these facets of his personality was his deep concern for our common humanity. Professor Busia’s political philosophy is rooted in a democratic welfare state built on an economic architecture that is driven by the market system as the main instrument for economic transaction. The major actor for maintaining this market system is the private sector, the vanguard of economic development. Busia’s democratic welfare state driven by the private sector recognizes the imperfection of the market and the likelihood that the distribution of wealth created by the market could be skewed against the vulnerable and the weak in society. To counteract this possibility and in line with his concern for our common humanity, Busia believed that society and each one of its citizens who may be well-of because of the wealth created by the market system should extend a helping hand to those who are unlucky and may be left out in the enjoyment of the wealth so created. He forcefully expressed this concern in his famous mantra: “Let’s be our brothers’ keeper.” It is within the context of his belief in a democratic welfare state in which the state and indeed each one should be his brother’s keeper and indeed his concern for our common humanity that his rural development program found expression. In Prof. Busia’s opinion the economic order that he inherited had skewed wealth in favor of the urban areas against the rural folks. In line with his political and economic philosophies it was incumbent upon him to reverse the seeming unending trend. At the time Busia assumed office in 1969, nearly 60 per cent of the nation’s clean water supply was produced for Accra alone, which had 10 per cent of the population. The Volta, Brong-Ahafo, Northern and Upper Regions altogether received 10 per cent of clean water supply. The doctor:patient ratio in the rural areas was very insignificant. Prices of cocoa, which was the main export earner and the major source of income for the rural folks, was at a record low level. Unemployment in the country was very high and much higher in the rural communities. In the face of these imbalances, the Busia administration drew up a program that set the country on the path of bridging the poverty and welfare gap between the rural and urban areas. The major steps that the Progress Party Government took to address this huge urban-rural development gap were in the areas of healthcare, access to drinking water, feeder-roads, water supply and agriculture, education, and rural electrification. 1. Health Care As expressed by Busia himself, the health of the people of Ghana is as much a part of our total resources as the mineral resources such as gold diamond and bauxite. In this respect, within a short period, his government built a large number of hospitals, clinics and health posts across the country. In fact many of the district hospitals in Ghana today were some of the health care facilities constructed by the Progress Party. 2. Water Supply Apart from the obvious importance of water in our daily lives, good drinking water has many added advantages to us. This includes the fight against certain diseases to forestall the possible huge expenditure in importation of medicines. At the time that guinea worm infection and other water borne diseases were rampant in the country, one of the best ways any government could tackle the problem was to give the people quality supply of water. And that was exactly what the Busia government did. In every corner of this country the Busia led administration built a water supply facility in one form or the other. Here in the Brong-Ahafo Region, boreholes were drilled in the following places: Jinijini, Sampa, Adamsu, Wenchi, Badu and Japekrom. Other areas that had water supply included Nsoatre, Abease, Biaso, Atuna, Nkrankwanta, Terchire and Asempanaye. 3. Construction of Feeder Roads Construction of roads, particularly feeder roads, was a notable achievement of the Busia government. That was the way the government considered best to open up the country, especially the rural areas. Roads were constructed also to provide access between the rural communities and the urban centers for farmers to sell their produce to earn income so as to reduce the income differentials between the rural and urban communities, a major cause of rural-urban migration. Among the major roads in the Brong-Ahafo Region that were constructed or tarred by the Busia administration were the following: 1. Wenchi-Techiman 2. Goaso-Kukuom-Sankore 3. Atebubu-Kwame Danso 4. Kintampo-Suronuase 5. Berekum-Seikwa 6. Hwidiem-Goaso 7. Sunyani-Chiraa 8. Sunyani-Odomase 9. Jema Junction-Offuman-Wenchi 10. Sunyani-Atronie-Achirensua 11. Abesim-Paulkrom It was also under his administration that the Sunyani Airport was constructed. 4. Agriculture Before Prof. Busia assumed office, he had identified agriculture as the main vehicle for Ghana’s economic transformation and development. During a meeting with the Diplomatic and Commonwealth Writers of Britain during his first official trip on October 23, 1969, he had this to say: “We consider it unfortunate and unjustified that a country like Ghana, blessed with abundant rainfall and good soil should still remain a net importer of foodstuffs rather than a net exporter. To this end, then, we shall institute an agricultural policy, which should result in a relatively short period, in the modernization of agriculture and a consequent increase in both the food produced for consumption in Ghana and for export and in the production of raw materials to feed our local industry.” The Progress Party administration identified areas where specific crops grew well and provided the needed logistics, funds and technical expertise to enhance production of crops. In the northern belt for instance, rice production received a major boost. In the middle sector, the attention was on food crops such as plantain, cocoyam, cassava as well as cash crops like cocoa and coffee. In the southern sector fishing received massive support with provision of modern fishing equipment for effective catch and storage of fish. 5. Education Prof. Busia himself being an academician par excellence, remained committed to quality education as a key to progress. His philosophy on education was that without service to the people knowledge was meaningless. His administration therefore built a large number of schools and educational facilities across the country with special attention on the rural areas. We must thank the authorities of the Sunyani Polytechnic for naming one of the halls built by the Progress Party government after Prof. Busia. Busia saw a direct link between the quality of education people received and the quality of services they rendered. That is, if you receive good education you are likely to make a good contribution to society. He therefore urged that those in charge of planning education ought to consider the sort of products expected from the educational institutions they plan. With this thought in mind his government introduced the junior secondary school system, which was being piloted gradually to eventually phase out the old system. A number of the models JSS that were built then have now been turned into secondary schools. That explains the planning in architecture and other facilities that went into Busia’s type of JSS. I suggest that we return to Busia’s idea of the concept of JSS to strengthen the base of our educational system to promote effective national development. Busia’s commitment to helping the poor manifested in his educational programme as well. In order to assist the poor, the Progress Party government provided sandals to students. Today some people talk of free supply of school uniform and other educational materials as if it is a novelty. 6. Rural Electrification Programme The indispensability of electricity was not lost to Busia and his colleagues when they administered the country. In fact, electricity supply was considered an essential step to bridge the gap between the urban and rural areas. In this respect, a substantial amount of money and other resources were made available to extend electricity to many rural areas in the country. The aim of the government in that respect was to promote the setting up of cottage industries and also to make available to rural dwellers some of the amenities only urban people enjoy. Busia, characteristically thought beyond his time about how easier and less cost effective to transmit and distribute electricity. He knew how costly it would be to distribute electricity around the country on metal and concrete poles. He therefore embarked upon massive teak plantation development with the aim of one day using teak trees as poles to transmit and distribute electricity. What do we see today, teak tree poles all over the country. Besides carrying electrical wires, teak trees have become alternate source of timber in Ghana today, offering lots of employment to the people. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen Busia was in power for only 27 months but his philosophy of a democratic welfare society; his belief in each one of us being his brothers keeper; his concern for the commonality of humanity; his belief in peaceful coexistence and above all his practical manifestation of his philosophies in the form of rural development will be cherished by us and by generations yet unborn. Thank you for listening and may the Lord God give us future leaders with such humility, ideals and foresight that Kofi Abrefa Busia had. Progress !!!!
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:47:37 +0000
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