During this study tour we saw and experienced a growing and changing Ghana—a Ghana that is on the move!

Throughout our 14 days stay, the Daily Graphic, Ghana’s “biggest selling newspaper” front pages were replete with stories about Ghana’s economic and education development issues and concerns. In 2002 the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) surveyed 35 African countries and placed Ghana in the eighth position. However, among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana takes the fourth position. You may ask what is the significance of this difference? According to Mr. Yaw Boadi-Aye bonfah, Editor of the Daily Graphics believes the findings of the United Nation’s survey signal a vote of confidence in the government’s effort to breath life into Ghana’s precarious economy. Mr. K.B. Asante, an educationist and social commentator calls for a return to the Seven Year Development plan that was proposed over forty years ago for the economic development of Ghana. The plan proclaimed the well—being of the individual Ghanaian, however humble, as the “Supreme law.” According to Mr. Asante, economic development must precede all other considerations of policy as Ghana move toward social reconstruction. There is an increasing momentum for change among social activist within Ghana as well as in the Diaspora among Ghanaian and people of African descent. A proposed change in the Ghanaian education system seems imperative. Despite the call for privatization, Mr. Asante and others support government funded public university education. It is important to note that Ghana view education as the key to economic development.

Not unlike the study tour participants, (click here to view one participant’s reflections) Ghanaian’s leaders also saw the people of Ghana as the primary catalyst for keeping the country moving toward reclamation of its glory days as a visionary and leader. Ghanaians believe that they hold the key to making Ghana a truly free and prosperous country.

We agree with Mr. Asante and others that with confidence, a spirit of self-reliance and abundant faith that Ghana will recapture and live the dream of the country’s founding mothers and fathers of a prosperous Ghana and a United Africa.

As a result of this study tour and our ongoing relationship with the human services community, we have been able to place MSW students in a block summer placement with the Center for Community Studies, Action and Development (CENCOSAD) where Professor James A. J. Annorbah-Sarpei is the executive director. CENCOSAD was established in 1977 as a people-centered action-research NGO to promote strategies for empowering and enabling communities of individuals and people to realize their potential through an integrated approach of participating action, research, evaluation, training, networking and resource development. It is our hope to continue to in our roles as social justice workers and to build a viable social and educational exchange program between our social work community and the Ghanaian social work community.

See the Photo Album

Reflective Paper (in Adobe Acrobat)