Prof. Busia eulogized on 110th birthday
An event was held at the African Regent Hotel in Accra on Tuesday night to mark the 110th birthday of the Prime Minister of the Second Republic, Prof. K.A. Busia.
The ceremony which was held on the theme: “Relevance of Busia’s Ideas to Our Contemporary Society,” was organised by the Busia Institute for Rural and Democratic Development.
It brought together eminent people from academia, politics, industry and other spheres of life. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor was represented by his senior spokesperson, Dr. Kwabena Osei-Adubofour.
Emulate Busia’s life
Speakers at the event made up of former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, a Development Economist, Dr. George Domfeh, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei Central Constituency, Patrick Boamah eulogized Prof Busia, describing him as a great leader.
They said the short period of the second republic saw massive development by the government in the rural areas.
Galamsey
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, said everyone should become concern about ending galamsey.
“As citizens we are also responsible for supporting the government in anyway possible to realise the objective of ending illegal mining. We still have a better chance to leave the world better than we inherited it,” he added.
Profile
Born on July 11 1913 at Wenchi in the Bono Region, Prof. Busia was educated at Wesley College in Kumasi, Achimota College, the University of London, and the Oxford University. He was appointed first lecturer in African Studies at the Oxford University.
In 1951 he was elected by the Ashanti Confederacy to the Legislative Council, and in 1952, he became the Leader of Ghana Congress Party.
In 1959, as the leader of the opposition against Nkrumah, Busia felt his life threatened and fled the country.
Roof. Busia’ s Progress Party won the 1069 election and he became the Prime Minister. While in Britain for a medical check-up, the army under Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong overthrew his government on January 13, 1972.
