By: Franklin Asare-Donkoh
The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has raised concerns over Ghana’s long-held centralised system of governance and is advocating for a paradigm shift.
According to him, it is time for the government to empower citizens and regions to take ownership of their resources.
The Okyenhene is thus urging bold reforms, adding, “I think we need to decentralise our country. I think we should begin to let Ghanaians own our country… The people of this country and their place of birth should be able to take control of their resources.”
Speaking at the launch of the autobiography of Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng in Accra, the Okyenhene said the inherited colonial system that concentrated power and resources in Accra had failed to deliver equitable development.
“Nothing changes unless we change ourselves. We have to change our attitude. We have to change the system that we inherited from the British… the system that centralises government,” he stated.
The Okyenhene noted that 68 years after independence, the promise of redistributing resources effectively from well-endowed to less-endowed regions remained unfulfilled.
“… bring all our resources to Accra and distribute them effectively to the rest of the regions. In other words, let the well-endowed subsidise the less-endowed. Sixty-eight years later, we are not seeing that promise taking place,” he reiterated.
He said critics should not reject the reforms out of suspicion that the resources would be controlled by chiefs.
“Forget about us, the chiefs – and let people control their own resources to ensure accountability,” he added.
The Okyenhene said he had that conversation with Nana Gyan-Apenteng just before he left for the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Nana Gyan-Apenteng, a leftist who devoted many decades of his life to social justice activism, the Okyenhene said, supported his recommendation of decentralisation.
The Okyenhene described the late Nana Gyan-Apenteng as “a great man” and praised his character as someone interested in the welfare of humanity rather than material wealth.
Dr. Nana Charles Sifa Twum, Acting Board Chair of the Ghana News Agency, paid tribute to the late Nana Gyan-Apenteng and extolled his achievement of completing his autobiography before his demise.
He said Nana Gyan-Apenteng was a man who fought well for his country and spoke against the ills of society without fear of persecution.
“For us in the media space, what we need to do is to continue where he left off. We need to talk about the vices in society; we need to fight with our voices, and I think when we do these things posterity will judge us,” Dr. Twum said.
In the 22-chapter book, titled What I Choose to Remember and published by DigiBooks, Nana Gyan-Apenteng employs the skill of humour and storytelling to take readers on a journey of his life, sharing intriguing experiences from his childhood, adult life, work, and travels abroad.
The book offers a step-by-step account of the author’s life and how the various experiences of his upbringing influenced his leftist journey through student activism, journalism, and political advocacy.
Nana Gyan-Apenteng was the Board Chair of the Ghana News Agency until his demise.
Also a former NMC Chairman, he died in May this year in London, United Kingdom, where he was seeking medical treatment, aged 74.
Per the funeral arrangements announced by his family, he will be buried on October 4, 2025, at Tafo Ati in the Eastern Region.
