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REFLECTING ON 24TH FEBRUARY: A MARK FOR THE POST INDEPENDENCE DEMOCRACY OF GHANA
Ghanaians have been urged to reflect on the events that precipitated the 1966 coup d’tat that led to the overthrow of the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and guard against same of the fourth republic.
Participating in a panel discussion organised by the Policy Think Tank, Danquah Institute, all three members of the panel agreed that military takeovers in all its forms and shape were major contributory factor to the country’s underdevelopment.
The dialogue held via zoom on Thursday, February 23, was under the theme “Reflecting on 24th February and the Post Independence Democracy of Ghana”.
Among the panelists were Dr. Alidu, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako and Mr. Afari Boadu gave views on the events leading to the coup and provided constructive views on the post 1966 period and the growth in our democracy.
Delivering her welcome address, the Executive Director of the Institute, Mrs Antoinette Tsibu-Darko said it was important for Ghanaians to use such reflective moments in history to contribute to building our democracy.
She said as a country, it was important that such reflective moments guided how we behaved going forward into our democracy.
A Research Fellow of the Institute and Dean of the Ghana Institute of Management and Pubic Administration (GIMPA) law school, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Budu in the opening statement said the reflective dialogue should not be seen as celebration or commemoration of the 24th February 1966 coup d’tat.shared that:
He said to do so would be an affront to the letter and spirit of our 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution, which abhors coups d’etat, as affirmed by the Supreme Court in the case of NPP v. Attorney General.”
Dr Agyemang-Budu explained that the dialogue was to look at the lessons learnt from the spates of coups d’état and other incidents that had been an interference in Ghana’s constitutional order.
On his part, Dr Alidu, who is also a senior lecturer of Political Science at the University of Ghana, noted that while the coup d’tats were unfortunate, there were a number of issues that often created room for it to happen.
However, he said despite the reasons given to justify such occurrences, evidence had proven that military regimes often stifled development.
However, Mr. Kwadwo Afari while agreeing that coup d’tat in general were disruptive, stated that the coup that overthrew Kwame Nkrumah was.
“Was declaring Ghana a one party state necessary? No! The CPP had won almost all seats and therefore, it was purposeless for Nkrumah to declare a one party state. In an environment where there are no avenues to criticize or express views, there is the tendency for people to overthrow a regime” he stated.
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako whose views were not in consonance with the others said that the accusation that Nkrumah banned other political parties proved to be an unsustainable strategy as his accusers walked the same path after overthrowing Nkrumah.
“Towards the elections of the 2nd Republic, CPP elements were banned from contesting elections in Ghana. The Parliament of the 2nd Republic sat for 24 hours and passed legislation banning the CPP, a party that was national in character. What was the philosophy of that event? How different was that from what Nkrumah did?” he quizzed.
By Cliff Ekuful
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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