Rekindling the spirit and vision of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah: The perspective of Charles Taleog Ndanbon

As Ghana marks this year’s sixty-sixth Independence Day celebration on March 6, one of the things that need to be reflected upon is what propelled the development of the country after its attainment of independence.

There is no doubt that the vision, virtues and values espoused by Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who led the country to be liberated from the colonial masters in 1957 saw the rapid and accelerated development under his tutelage.

Among the virtues espoused by Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President included values of self-reliance, self-determination, patriotism, respect for others, tolerance, love for the country, and hard work. These values are encapsulated in one of his addresses:

“Countrymen, the task ahead is great indeed, and heavy is the responsibility; and yet it is a noble and glorious challenge- a challenge which calls for courage to dream, the courage to believe, the courage to dare, the courage to do, the courage envision, the courage to fight, the courage to work, the courage to achieve- to achieve the highest excellencies and the fullest greatness of man. Dare we ask for more in life?”

As the country celebrates this year’s 66th independence day celebration and Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President, there is also the need to celebrate young people in Ghanaian society who have seen Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President as a role model and emulate his values of self-reliance, self-determination, patriotism, respect for others, tolerance, love for country, and hard work.

One of such young people is the Managing Director (MD) of the Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group, Mr. Charles Taleog Ndanbon in the Upper East Region whose birthday coincides with this year’s Independence Day. Born on March 6, 1975, the MD, who is popularly known as “Champion Man” is also the Regional Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Just like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who contributed to the development of the nation, the MD of Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group has also contributed significantly to the development of the Upper East Region.

In the year 2013, the MD through his negotiation and lobbying skills brought into the Upper East Region specifically, the Gbane community in the Talensi District, the Shaanxi Mining Company Limited, a subsidiary of China Gold Resources Group Company Limited to provide technical support services to two small scale mining firms namely the Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group and Porbotaaba Small Scale Mining Group to start production this year, 2013.

One does not need to be told that it takes hard work and sacrifice of the individual to woo foreign investors to the country particularly the northern parts of the country to work and create jobs and improve upon the local economy.

This was after the MD had been selected by the Ghana Government among some Ghanaians to go on a learning visit to China to learn good mining practices so as to replicate it after returning from China.

His sense of patriotism just like Dr. Nkrumah was also brought to light when he ensured that the company as part of its Corporate Social Responsibilities complemented government’s efforts to help create development This led Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd to construct a bridge over the local ‘Oun’ river to ease movement of people especially students from the eastern mining communities (Tarkwa, Zalwore, and Datuku) to the schools in the western part (Obuasi and Kejetiaetc).

Apart from resurfacing and reshaping the 6.5km road from Sheaga to the Gbane Mining Site in the Talensi District, Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd also constructed internal feeder roads at Gaare, Tindongo and Gbane communities and rehabilitated the Winkogo, Sipaat, Gorogo feeder roads. It also reshaped and surfaced the 8km Zuarungu-Namoaligo road.

The Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd also relocated a government school in the mining area by providing a new school block at the cost of GH¢190,000.00. As we speak now, teaching and learning are being conducted in a very conducive environment.

On Water, the two registered small-scale mining groups ensured that Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd sunk more than seven boreholes at each in the mining Community which are all operational and serving the communities.

Additionally, the Yenyeya mining entity managed to persuade Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd to make a donation of Knapsack sprayers, fertilizer and wellington boots to the Talensi District Assembly yearly to award the gallant farmers on the Annual Farmers’ Day celebrations as part of its policy.

Apart from the above, Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd also donated a number of computers to some public institutions in the region to boost their Information and Communication Technology and fast-track service provision. Some of the beneficiary institutions included the Regional Hospital-20 computers, Regional Coordinating Council-10, Regional Police Headquarters-20, Nabdam District Assembly-10, and Talensi District Assembly.

Also, for initiating and lobbying to bring the Company to Ghana, Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd now Earl International pays its property and business operation rates to the Talensi District Assembly up-to-date. For instance, for the 2018 business year, the company paid GH¢46,000.00 to the Talensi District Assembly as Property and business operation permit fees. Also, the Company pays its royalties to Ghana Revenue Authority, Accra as well as workers' SSNIT contributions, among others.

There is no doubt that the above-mentioned developmental projects that were brought in the Talensi District were made possible through the good initiative of the MD of Yenyeya mining company which brought the Investors into the country.

This has contributed significantly to the improvement of the livelihoods of the Gbane community and the Upper East Region as a whole. The Internal Generated Fund of the Assembly had also increased. Just like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the CEO of the Yenyeya Small Scale, Mr. Ndanbon and must be celebrated.

The MD's emulation of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah should serve as a clarion call for all Ghanaians especially to also do so to collectively help accelerate the development of the nation.

Speaking to Ghanaian Times in an interview here in Bolgatanga, the MD of the Yenyeya Small Scaling Mining Company said he was inspired and motivated by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's virtues and values and decided to emulate that.

He admonished all Ghanaians that as we celebrate this year’s Independence Day there was a need to reflect on the life and works of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and stressed that his sterling efforts and the contributions he made led Ghana to gain her political independence and inspired the African liberation struggle.

He stressed that one of the major challenges confronting the nation’s development is the political divide and appealed to all Ghanaians to bury their political differences and be nationalistic and passionate in contributing to the nation’s development.

“Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was unwavering in knitting a united nation together with its rich diversity of culture, people, and ethnicity. His instrumental role on the African Continent gave birth to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU) on May 25th, 1963, which also influenced the formation of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in 1975.

The establishment of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2019 is a manifestation of Nkrumah’s vision to create a common market to enhance intra-African trade,” he intimated.

Acclaimed as the Man of the Millennium, Kwame Nkrumah was a highly imaginative thinker and a creative strategic leader. A clear testimony of this fact is that the Washington File describes him as “possessing a remarkable gift of vision which enables him to see over the mass or mess of intervening problems and details; to view and all but taste- a harmoniously organized free independent Africa, possessed of its own unique personality which stands in equality before the rest of the world, accepted, honored and respected”.

As a visionary leader, Prof. Emmanuel K. Akyeampong, Faculty Director, Harvard University Centre for African Studies described him as “a man who was light years ahead of his time”.

Nkrumah was relentless, pragmatic, and strategic in pursuing and executing his lofty projects and programmes.

In conclusion, as we celebrate this year’s Independence Day, there is the need to reflect on Dr. Nkrumah’s lofty ideals to ensure national cohesion, and peaceful co-existence to sustain the Continents’ stability and peace