Time to Put Ghana First.
Prologue: The Golden Smile and the Empty Pot
We opened our arms and lost our gold. We offered kola and were given chains. We danced for strangers and were made strangers in our own land. Is this kindness — or our curse dressed in ‘FUGU’?
There is a beauty in the Ghanaian soul — radiant, welcoming, selfless. Our hospitality is no mere tradition; it is a spiritual instinct. We are a people who believe in the humanity of others. We give our best, even when we have little. We have turned strangers into family, guests into kin. But alas, this sacred virtue has been perverted — by history, by politics, and by our own silence.
Ghanaian hospitality, once our pride, now often feels like an open wound. It has become a two-edged sword — one side caressing our guests, the other slicing our sovereignty.
I. From Sacred Welcome to Silent Chains: The Tragedy of Historical Hospitality
When the first ships came, we clapped. When the chains were fastened, we wept. But our tears were swallowed by the ocean of betrayal.
Our ancestors welcomed European sailors with songs and salt, unaware they were inviting centuries of sorrow. What began as trade became trauma. The transatlantic slave trade was not a theft; it was a betrayal of trust. Ghana’s generosity was repaid with shackles.
Our lands were signed away with smiles. Our people exchanged for gin and gunpowder. By the time colonization dawned, we had already been spiritually colonized — to believe that foreigners were saviors and we, the saved.
And yet, history repeats — not with swords, but with spreadsheets.
II. Neo-Colonial Courtesies: The Curse That Wears a Tie
Today, they come not with chains, but with contracts. Not with cannons, but consultants. Yet still, we are captured.
Modern Ghana has become the polite servant of foreign interests. From the IMF’s prescriptions to multinational extractions, we open our borders and bend our laws — often to our own detriment. Our oil, gold, cocoa, lithium — the wealth of our ancestors — are signed away in broad daylight, hidden behind terms like “foreign direct investment.”
Between 1990 and 2020, Ghana earned less than 5% of total export value from its gold industry, while multinational companies repatriated over 90% of profits. — PIAC, Ghana Chamber of Mines
We welcome embassies that treat our people with suspicion. We give VIP treatment to foreign troops while our own youth are unemployed and neglected. Hospitality has become our national Stockholm Syndrome — a love for the hands that exploit us.
III. Ghana First: The Philosophy of Self-Love
Patriotism is not a rejection of others. It is the radical acceptance of one’s own worth. We are not asking for war — we are asking for wisdom.
Let us not be mistaken. Ghana does not need to become hostile. But we must become honest. Our kindness must have boundaries. Our hospitality must have memory. And our policies must have priorities.
A “Ghana First Hospitality” means:
- Enforcing immigration laws with parity —just as Ghanaians are held to account abroad.
- Scrutinizing all contracts with a clear lens: Does this serve the Ghanaian child or just foreign shareholders?
- Rebalancing diplomacy — where red carpets rolled in Accra must be met with respect in Ottawa, Beijing, or Washington.
- Supporting Ghanaian entrepreneurs with tax incentives, seed funding, and global exposure.
- Educating our youth to know that they are not beggars on the global stage, but heirs of a rich and proud heritage.
IV. Transforming Hospitality into Strategic Sovereignty
A nation that treats outsiders better than its own children Is not hospitable — it is self-destructive.
SB Legal and Institutional Reforms
- Amend the Constitution to mandate parliamentary oversight for large-scale resource agreements.
- Reform the Minerals and Mining Act to include local benefit clauses and impact reviews.
Civic & Media Awakening
- Empower journalists, activists, and students to interrogate power — to make truth louder than propaganda.
- Protect whistleblowers and strengthen Right to Information laws.
Redesign Political Incentives
- Link party funding to measurable national performance — not slogans or tribal arithmetic.
- Use digital tools like GIFMIS to track every cedi of expenditure in real time.
Local Content & Industrial Empowerment
- Demand that 60% of jobs in extractive sectors go to Ghanaians by 2030.
- Build local processing plants — from cocoa to bauxite — to retain value and grow GDP.
V. The Gains of Ghana-First Leadership
The gold must bless our homes, not just their vaults. The oil must light our schools, not just their stock markets.
- Jobs for Ghanaians — in value-added industries, not just menial labour.
- Revenue for Development — no more $1.4 billion lost to illicit outflows.
- A Stronger Cedi — driven by exports of finished goods, not raw gifts.
- Reduced Poverty — as resources are reinvested in health, roads, and innovation.
A New Dawn of Self-Love and Sovereignty
Once upon the golden soils of Ghana, our generosity glimmered like the morning dew on cocoa leaves, drawing the world to our doorsteps. From the first handshake of colonialists to the modern embrace of exploitative bilateral deals, our open- heartedness has often been our undoing. Ghanaian hospitality—deeply rooted in communal love and the sanctity of human connection—was never meant to be a license for plunder. Yet, time and again, we have welcomed foreign interests that strip our land of its wealth, leaving us with a smile, an empty pocket, and a poisoned river. But now, in the whisper of winds rising from Obuasi to Wassa, there is a stirring—a bold reclamation of our worth.
We must pause and applaud the Government for the bold establishment of the Gold Board, a masterstroke of policy born from the ashes of misused benevolence. By regulating the small-scale mining sector, empowering local players, and formalizing a chaotic gold economy, the Gold Board is more than an institution—it is a symbol of Ghana rising from the dust of exploitation to wear her own crown. Yet, this is only the beginning of a deeper transformation. It is time to go further— to process at least 50% of our gold right here on our sacred soil, through a grand national Gold Souk: a cathedral of value addition, a marketplace of refined pride, and a sanctuary for the golden dreams of our artisans.
But why stop at gold? Bauxite, lithium, manganese, oil, salt, iron—each mineral a sacred inheritance from our ancestors—deserves a seat at the table of national dignity. Let there be a Bauxite Board, a Lithium Authority, a Salt Council, each echoing the strategic genius of the Gold Board, each marching in cadence toward the full sovereignty of our natural endowments. Let the state own all mines and lease operations with equity, environmental responsibility, and generational foresight. For how can a people love themselves if they allow others to mine their soul without question?
This is the new dawn of Ghanaian self-love—where hospitality does not mean self- erasure, and generosity does not mean servitude. As the poet Rumi once wrote, “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” It is time to soar, to transmute our poetic spirit into policy, and our philosophical awakening into sovereignty. The curse of Ghanaian hospitality shall no longer be our lot; instead, we shall host ourselves, cherish ourselves, and mine the greatness within—first for Ghana, and then for the world.
VI. Epilogue: Rekindling the Sacred Flame
Let Ghana rise not just in anthem, but in action. Let our flag not just wave, but shield us. Let our hospitality evolve —from servitude to sovereignty.
Let us no longer be the smiling host left with an empty pot. Let us rise as a proud people, not just a pleasant people. The world must know: Ghana’s warmth is not weakness. Ghana’s kindness is not carelessness.
Our hospitality must wear amior now — soft to the soul, but sharp in wisdom. We will embrace the world, yes. But we shall never again forget ourselves in the process.
Ghana must not just host the world — Ghana must lead its own destiny. Ghana First. Ghana Always.
— End —
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
