DOCSLIB.ORG

Major Issues Arising out of Industrial Relations Disputes in Ghana Since

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Major Issues Arising out of Industrial Relations Disputes in Ghana Since MAJOR ISSUES ARISING OUT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DISPUTES IN GHANA SINCE INDEPENDENCE: 1957-2004 By Francis Adu-Poku Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management, Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Supervisor: Professor Douglas Blackmur November 2006 1 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original, except as acknowledged in th e text; the material has not been submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at th e University of the Western Cape or at any other university. Signature : Full Name : Francis Adu-Poku Student Number : 2259097 Date : November 2006 2 ABSTRACT This thesis analyses the significance of disputes or conflict in Ghana’s industrial relations since her independence in 1957. It further analyses the causes of industrial conflict and its management or resolution in Ghana in particular. Scholars argue that industrial conflict may not only adversely affect the living standards of both the employers and the employees but may also destabilise the labour market and bring about industrial injustices. On the other hand, industrial conflict is not necessarily dysfunctional or “bad”. It may be a desirable feature so long as it is able to reflect the systematic inclusion of certain information and can lead to ideas about new approaches to organisational process and prevent ignorance from being accepted as a valid excuse for injudicious policy. The thesis shall outline the historical development of Ghana’s industrial relations since independence with special reference to strikes. How trade unions, employers associations and successive governments since independence have influenced industrial disputes in Ghana will be considered. Forms of strikes in Ghana and disputes’ management policies that have been employed by governments of Ghana will be critically assessed and discussed. The sources include Ghanaian government documents, policy statements, critical articles and books on both theories of industrial relations in general and Ghana’s industrial relations in particular. The analysis shall essentially be qualitative and a grounded, empirical method will be employed. The thesis makes no value judgments about industrial conflict. The Conclusion identifies the major issues arising out of industrial disputes in Ghana with which future public policy will have to deal. 3 KEYWORDS / PHRASES Major issues Disputes/conflicts Industrial relations Ghana Independence of Ghana Strikes/absenteeism/sabotage/labour turnover Collective bargaining Conciliation/Mediation/Arbitration National tripartite committee Labour commission. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration 2 Abstract 3 Key words/phrases 4 Table of contents 5 Acknowledgements 7 Abbreviations 10 Introduction 14 Chapter 1 Theories of disputes in industrial relations 21 Chapter 2 Theories of how to respond to expressions of industrial disputes with particular reference to strikes 64 Chapter 3 Ghana in context: Political, Economic and Socio-cultural issues 97 5 Chapter 4 Development of industrial relations in Ghana 142 Chapter 5 The main causes of disputes in industrial relations in Ghana 198 Chapter 6 Ghana’s national strategies for industrial disputes Management 243 Conclusion 272 Appendix 1 279 Appendix 2 299 References 302 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I acknowledge a great intellectual debt to my supervisor, Professor Douglas John Blackmur. I feel profound sense of gratitude to Professor Blackmur, who to begin with was my co-supervisor but later assumed the responsibilities of a full and the only supervisor when the former one refused to continue with me. The support from Blackmur, apart from the redrafting of the research title was always there for me all the time. The timely supply of feedback information on my work, the encouragement and the pieces of advice, guidan ce, financial support, and fatherly love I received from him cannot be numerated. As the first and only Doctor of Philosophy student of the department, I was met with a lot of obstacles and frustrations but Blackmur would always encourage me to be firm with what I had set my mind to do. When my department could not offer me a place, table and chair to do my research, Professor Blackmur vacated his office stocked with computer, printer photocopier machine and all other research equipments that a Doctoral student would need for the whole period of my research. Enormous support for my research has come from a wide variety of unions, employers, archives, library, ministries and departments, the Office of Parliament of Ghana and individual sources. The officers of Ghana Trade Union Congress and the former Managing Director of Ghana Empretec Foundation, Dr George Manu, Ghana Statistical Service, made their time and facilities freely available. The Ghana Employers’ Association, Ghana Trade Union Congress, Ghana Investment Promotion Council and the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare allowed generous access to their files, minutes and publications. Thanks are extended to the Ghana Labour Department for the opportunity to examine a range of important documents. 7 The staff of University of the Western Cape Library, Cape Peninsula University of Technology Library, the University of Cape Town Library, University of Stellenboch Library, the University of Ghana Library, the University of Leeds library (United Kingdom) and the Ryland’s Library of the University of Manchester (United Kingdom) assisted in the location of a large amount of materials, and prevented what otherwise would have been a series of fruitless excursions into several archival dead-ends. Similar assistance was rendered by Professor Kwamina Panford, the Provost of the Northeastern University, Boston, United States of America, who parcelled to me some useful materials including some of his own publications. The Ghanaweb, a source of news information on Ghana on the internet, the South African Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration and the South African Labour Library in Cape Town need to be appreciated for the unqualified degree of cooperation particularly in allowing me to read certain files and in providing copies of relevant documents. The Office of Parliament of Ghana has lent great support to my research. They granted unrestricted access to the correspondence, minutes and all files relevant to the subject. Many individuals have assisted by providing materials, advice, criticisms or a willing ear. I would particularly like to record my thanks to Dr and Mrs Danso, Mr and Mrs Daniels and family, Miss Adele Daniels, Mr Yaw Nkansah Gyekye, Mr & Mrs. Lord Donkor, Mr Kumi Acheaeo, Mr John Kwame Aworoh and wife, Dr Camynta, Mr Leolyn Jackson and Dr Rubin Pillay both lecturers in UWC., Rev. Yaw Adu-Gyamfi and Rev. Emmanuel Kobi. Thanks are also due to the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and especially the Department of Management of the University of the Western Cape for accepting me to do my research with them. I am again grateful to the University of the Western Cape and the Department of Management whose research fund complimented the effort of Franadup Company Limited, Ghana to 8 meet all my financial needs during my research. To the current and past Heads of the Management Department (UWC), the lecturers and the entire the entire staff, I say a big thank you for your co-operation. A much debt is owed to Mrs. Mary Adu-Poku, my dear wife, Miss Queendela Adu-Poku and Miss Patricia Adu-Poku, my daughters and Mr George Opoku and Franck Kouasi, my sons for accepting the challenge of remaining in Ghana while I was taking up my research. I specially owe all of them for the advice, criticism, encouragement and sheer hard work, and for the occasional sharp remi nder that speedier progress was necessary since there were aspects of life worth pursuing apart from the acquisition of the Doctor of Philosophy. My final thanks go the Almighty God and his Dear Son Jesus Christ, who through the Holy Angels and the Comforter, in the person of the Holy Spirit, have always been with me in times of difficulties and have been the suppliers of all my needs, strength and protection. All my Pastors and church members both in Ghana and South Africa, I owe you profound gratitude for your prayer support and for taking care of my family while I was away on this mission. 9 ABBREVIATIONS ACRI African Crisis Response Initiative ACOTA African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance AU African Union AFRC Armed Forces Revolutionary Council AGC Ashanti Goldfield Company ALU Association of Local Unions CVC Citizens' Vetting Committee CSAG Civil Servants Association of Ghana CHRAJ Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice COSATU Congress of South African Trade Union CDR Committees for the Defense of the Revolution CWU Communication Workers’ Union CBMWU Construction and Building Materials Workers’ Union CPI Consumer Price Index DIC Divestiture Implementation Committee ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EPZ Export Processing Zone ERP Economic Recovery Programme FAC Freedom of Association Committee GDP Gross Domestic Product GH Ghana COCOBOD Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board GEA Ghana Employers’ Association GIPC Ghana Investment Promotion Council GLSS Ghana Living Standards Survey GMWU Ghana Mine Workers’ Union GNAT Ghana National Association of Teachers 10 GPRTU Ghana Private Road Transport
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Country Case Study: Ghana
    Mid-Term Evaluation of the EFA Fast Track Initiative Country Case Study: Ghana Terry Allsop, Ramlatu Attah, Tim Cammack, Eric Woods February 2010 FTI Mid-Term Evaluation – Ghana Case Study Summary Information for Ghana Currency = New Ghana Cedi (GHC) Exchange Rate (11 June 2009) GHC 1 = USD 0.67 Fiscal Year = Calendar year School Year = September to July Structure of education system: 2 years kindergarten + 6 years primary + 3 years junior high school + 3 or 4 years senior high school Population: 23.5 million (2007) Population growth rate: 2% (2007) Acknowledgements The evaluation team would like to express their gratitude to the Ministry of Education in Accra and the Ghana Education Service, whose staff at all levels gave generously of their time. They would also like to thank all those persons interviewed who provided valuable input to the study. Findings and opinions in this report are those of the evaluation team and should not be ascribed to any of the agencies that sponsored the study. ii February 2010 FTI Mid-Term Evaluation – Ghana Case Study Preface The Fast Track Initiative (FTI) is linked both to the Education for All (EFA) goals and to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The FTI was launched in 2002, and by 2009 had been running for half its expected lifetime. The FTI partnership recognised the need to evaluate whether it is achieving the goals it has set itself. The evaluation was intended to provide an opportunity for reform and change where necessary. As stated in the Terms of Reference: The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of FTI to date in accelerating progress towards achievement of EFA goals in participating countries, with particular attention to country movement towards universal primary completion (UPC).
    [Show full text]
  • T He S Ta Te and T He D Ev Elo P M En T O F S M a Ll-S C a Le in D U Stry in G Hana Sin Ce C
    R a jiv B a l l The State and The Developm ent of Sm all-scale Industry in Ghana since c.1945 A T h e s i s s u b m i t t e d f o r F i n a l E x a m i n a t i o n f o r t h e De g r e e o f D o c t o r o f P h i l o s o p h y De p a r t m e n t o f E c o n o m ic H is t o r y L o n d o n S c h o o l o f E c o n o m ic s a n d P o l it ic a l S c ie n c e S e p t e m b e r 1997 UMI Number: U615B61 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615361 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • 20261 May 1999 Public Disclosure Authorized
    20261 May 1999 Public Disclosure Authorized Tertiary Education Policy in Ghana Public Disclosure Authorized An Assessment: 1988-1998 Alison Girdwood Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized EDUCATkON T H E W O R L D B A N K Reportfor the World Bank MAY 1999 ii TERTIARY EDUCATION POLICY IN GHANA: An Assessment: 1988 - 1998 CONTENTS Pag EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. THE POLICY CONTEXT 2 2.1 Tertiaryeducation in Ghanaand the TertiaryEducation Project 2 2.2 The process of policyformulation (1986-88) 3 3. POLICY OBJECTIVES OF THE REFORM PROGRAMME 4 3.1 Unificationinto a singletertiary education sector 4 3.2 The effectivenessof statemechanisms for allocatingresources 5 3.3 The quality and relevanceof teachingand learning 5 3.4 Equity,expansion and the PNDCpolicy agenda 6 4. COMMENT: EFFECTIVENESSOF THE POLICY FRAMEWORK 6 4.1 Scope of the reform agenda 6 4.2 Underlyingassumptions 7 4.3 Processby which the URCundertook its work 7 4.4 Mechanismsfor translatingpolicy intopractice 9 4.5 Complexityof the policymessage 9 4.6 Treatmentof studentfinancing of tertiaryeducation 9 4.7 Access and equity 10 4.8 Relationshipbetween the state and the tertiary educationinstitutions 11 4.9 Managementand planningin the tertiaryeducation institutions 12 4.10 Teachingquality and relevance 13 4.11 Research,post-graduate study, and the desire for a knowledgeand innovationindustry 14 4.12 Significanceand heritageof the work of the URC 14 5. The White Paper: 'REFORMS TO THE TERTIARY EDUCATIONSYSTEM' 15 5.1 Policypriorities and the mechanismsof change 16 .. 5.2 Equity, expansion, and institutional upgrading 17 5.3 Quality and relevance 18 5.4 Research 18 5.5 Financing, fees and cost-sharing 19 5.6 Planning norns and sub-sectoral efficiency 19 5.7 Comments on the significance of the White Paper 20 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Ghanaian Agency in Democratization: Examining Democracy Promotion in U.S.-Ghana Relations After the Cold War, 1992-2001
    GHANAIAN AGENCY IN DEMOCRATIZATION: EXAMINING DEMOCRACY PROMOTION IN U.S.-GHANA RELATIONS AFTER THE COLD WAR, 1992-2001 A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts In the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By MOSES ALLOR AWINSONG © Copyright Moses Allor Awinsong, August 2019. All rights reserved PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis/dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis/dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis/dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History 619 Arts Building, 9 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A5, Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5C9 Canada i ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Multiple Streams Framework and the 1996 and 2007 Educational Reforms in Ghana
    Advances in Research 5(3): 1-15, 2015, Article no.AIR.17697 ISSN: 2348-0394 SCIENCEDOMAIN international www.sciencedomain.org The Multiple Streams Framework and the 1996 and 2007 Educational Reforms in Ghana Antwi Boasiako 1 and Bossman E. Asare 2* 1Department of Political Science, Brock University, Ontario, Canada. 2Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between both authors. Both authors are collectively responsible for the outcome of the manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/AIR/2015/17697 Editor(s): (1) Ali Said Mohamed Al-Issa, College of Law, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. Reviewers: (1) David Barney, Teacher Education, Brigham Young University, USA. (2) Ibrahim El-Zraigat, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. (3) George Dei, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada. Complete Peer review History: http://sciencedomain.org/review-history/9961 Received 24 th March 2015 th Policy Article Accepted 20 May 2015 Published 29th June 2015 ABSTRACT The paper examines the formulation of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education policy and the Kuffour-led education reforms in the education system of Ghana in 1996 and 2007 respectively. The study is undertaken through the lens of the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) developed by John Kingdon in 1984 to underscore how different factors or streams collectively influence the adoption of certain policies. The paper argues that far more than mere pursuit of party manifesto promises, broad problem, policy and political occurrences conspired to call forth the reforms. By so doing, the paper puts the theoretical assumptions of MSF to test and finds that though developed within the context of the American democratic system to explain policymaking, the MSF finds utility in the Ghanaian context as well, making its postulations generalizable.
    [Show full text]
  • [Ghanabib 1819 – 1979 Prepared 23/11/2011] [Ghanabib 1980 – 1999 Prepared 30/12/2011] [Ghanabib 2000 – 2005 Prepared 03/03
    [Ghanabib 1819 – 1979 prepared 23/11/2011] [Ghanabib 1980 – 1999 prepared 30/12/2011] [Ghanabib 2000 – 2005 prepared 03/03/2012] [Ghanabib 2006 – 2009 prepared 09/03/2012] GHANAIAN THEATRE A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES A WORK IN PROGRESS BY JAMES GIBBS File Ghana. Composite on ‘Ghana’ 08/01/08 Nolisment Publications 2006 edition The Barn, Aberhowy, Llangynidr Powys NP8 1LR, UK 9 ISBN 1-899990-01-1 The study of their own ancient as well as modern history has been shamefully neglected by educated inhabitants of the Gold Coast. John Mensah Sarbah, Fanti National Constitution. London, 1906, 71. This document is a response to a need perceived while teaching in the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, during 1994. In addition to primary material and articles on the theatre in Ghana, it lists reviews of Ghanaian play-texts and itemizes documents relating to the Ghanaian theatre held in my own collection. I have also included references to material on the evolution of the literary culture in Ghana, and to anthropological studies. The whole reflects an awareness of some of the different ways in which ‘theatre’ has been defined over the decades, and of the energies that have been expended in creating archives and check-lists dedicated to the sister of arts of music and dance. It works, with an ‘inclusive’ bent, on an area that focuses on theatre, drama and performance studies. When I began the task I found existing bibliographical work, for example that of Margaret D. Patten in relation to Ghanaian Imaginative Writing in English, immensely useful, but it only covered part of the area of interest.
    [Show full text]
  • I UNIVERSITY of CAPE COAST DR. HILLA LIMANN 1934
    UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST DR. HILLA LIMANN 1934 – 1998: HIS LIFE AND TIMES BY AGAPE KANYIRI DAMWAH Thesis Submitted to the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, University of Cape Coast in partial fulfillment of the requirements for award of Master of Philosophy Degree in History. JUNE, 2011 i DECLARATION Candidate’s Declaration I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own original work and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this university or elsewhere. Name: Agape Kanyiri Damwah Signature: ……………………………………Date:……………………………… Supervisors’ Declaration We hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this thesis were supervised in accordance with the guidelines on supervision of thesis laid down by the University of Cape Coast. Principal Supervisor’s Name: Prof. B. G. Der Signature: ………………………………….. Date:.................................................. Co-Supervisor’s Name: Dr. S. Y. Boadi-Siaw Signature……………………… ……………Date………………………………… ii ABSTRACT The work takes a critical look at the life and times of Dr. Hilla Limann, President of the Third Republic of Ghana. The thesis offers readers an insight into the life, struggle, works, successes and the failures of Hilla Limann. The work endeavours to examine the life of Hilla Limann and his meteoric rise to power in 1979. Through his own persuasion, determination and hard work, Limann pursued the educational ladder outside Ghana and became a well-educated man. The study discovered that Limann was not a novice in politics and social leadership. In theory he had undergone rigorous academic discipline. Between 1965 and 1978, he worked with Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he played various high profile roles at the Foreign Missions.
    [Show full text]
  • Big Men Playing Football: Money, Politics and Foul Play in the African Game
    Tilburg University Big men playing football Pannenborg, A.R.C. Publication date: 2012 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Pannenborg, A. R. C. (2012). Big men playing football: Money, politics and foul play in the African game. African Studies Centre. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 24. sep. 2021 Big Men playing football Money, politics and foul play in the African game Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor aan Tilburg University, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, prof. dr. Ph. Eijlander, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het College voor Promoties aangewezen commissie in de aula van de Universiteit op vrijdag 12 oktober 2012 om 10.15 uur door Arnold Reinier Cornelis Pannenborg geboren op 11 september 1976 te Goes Promotiecommissie: Promotor: Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Gateway to Africa: the Pilgrimage Tourism of Diaspora Africans to Ghana
    GATEWAY TO AFRICA: THE PILGRIMAGE TOURISM OF DIASPORA AFRICANS TO GHANA Ann Reed Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology, Indiana University July 2006 Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ______________________________ Gracia Clark, Ph.D. ______________________________ Richard Wilk, Ph.D. Doctoral Committee ______________________________ Beverly J. Stoeltje, Ph.D. December 15, 2005 ______________________________ John H. Hanson, Ph.D. ii © 2006 Ann Reed ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii For my research assistant, host, and friend Paa Kwesi Sampson Meda wo ase paa! iv Acknowledgements Progress does not come by itself. Neither desire nor time alone can ensure progress. Progress is not a gift but a victory. To make progress, man (sic) has to work, strive and toil, tame the elements, combat the environment, recast institution, subdue circumstances, and at all times be ideologically alert and awake (Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah by way of James Anani Amemasor). Thanking the institutions and individuals that contributed towards my dissertation is an arduous task because I fear that not everyone will be acknowledged. I have not included some individual names on purpose because I wanted to protect them, as some of their statements may be controversial. Please know that I appreciate your frankness and insights even if I neglect to mention you by name. I would like to thank the U.S. Department of Education for awarding me the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program Fellowship, which funded my fieldwork for the period of July 2001-July 2002 based in Cape Coast, Ghana.
    [Show full text]
  • Poli 444 Electoral Politics and Democracy in Ghana
    POLI 444 ELECTORAL POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY IN GHANA SESSION 8 : ELECTORAL POLITICS FROM THE SECOND REPUBLIC TO THE THIRD REPUBLIC Lecturer: Mr. Alex K. D. Frempong Contact Information: [email protected] /[email protected] College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017 SESSION OVERVIEW The military junta that took over the reins of power after the February 1996 coup, the National Liberation Council (NLC), saw itself as a care-taker government which would return the country to civilian rule as soon as possible. For this reason, in its first year, it set up a Constitutional Commission to collate views of Ghanaians on a new constitution for Ghana. This was followed by a Constituent Assembly which drew the 1969 Constitution. In August 1969, parliamentary election was held to choose MPs and the party which would form government. The Progress Party (PP) government led by Busia formed after the election lasted for 27 months when it was overthrown in January 1972. Before then in August 1970, a ceremonial President, Akufo Addo had been indirectly elected. The new military junta , National Redemption Council (NRC) metamorphosed into the Supreme Military Council (SMC). In the 1976-78 period it attempted to introduce a new system of government called Union Government (UNIGOV) which resulted in a referendum in March 1978. A palace coup in July 1978, eventually led to a multi-party election in June/July 1979 and a new civilian government in September with Hilla Limann as President of the Third Republic. His government co-incidentally also lasted 27 months.
    [Show full text]
  • © 2013 Alice Christine Jones-Nelson
    © 2013 ALICE CHRISTINE JONES-NELSON ABUSUA, AGE, AND NATION BUILDING IN POSTCOLONIAL GHANA, 1949-2000 BY ALICE CHRISTINE JONES-NELSON DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Jean Allman, Chair Professor Emeritus Donald Crummey Professor Maria Todorova Associate Professor Teresa Barnes ii Abstract Focused on public encounters between the institutions of nation and family, this study asks how state agendas in Ghana—amid transitions from colonial oversight to independence influenced, absorbed, reflected, or deflected widespread social values and practices. Governmental vision that targeted fiscal and political solutions, scientific and technological advances, age-based programs, and regulation of population growth to improve quality of life in Ghana spurred public discourse on what it meant or should mean to be Ghanaian. When the Akan term abusua—extended family—entered that discourse, its usage expanded from reference to specific genealogical and sociopolitical constructions to broader definitions with applicability to non-Akan groups. During the late twentieth century, efforts of the central government to steer the country in accordance with political or economic objectives did not succeed in fundamentally changing societal priorities and demonstrated preferences in matters dealing with family, intergenerational relations, and community support. Following the advent of Ghanaian independence, individuals and organizations pointed to the extended family as an ideal—a model for fostering unity through interdependence—and to standards and customs associated with that ideal as vital components of the national character. Instead of government planning, pronouncements, and policies as ultimate conveyors of a national identity, the extended family and community support system emerged as a wellspring of national values by the start of the twenty-first century.
    [Show full text]