15th of August, marked the 144th birthday of George Alfred Grant — affectionately called Paa Grant — the man who was destined to change the destiny of our country.
Beyin, the traditional capital of Western Nzema called Jomoro is the place where the birth of this illustrious son of the land occurred.
At age 18, he became a member of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society that fought the colonial masters and saved this country from the evils of the Crown Lands Bill of 1896 and the Lands Bill of 1897.
51 years later, he conceived the idea of Ghana’s independence from colonial rule, mobilised the right people and financed from his own pocket all the independence struggle activities.
One of his colleagues, Dr Ako Adjei, remarked, “Until he led the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), no political organisation in any colonial territory in Africa had boldly declared as its objective to demand for national independence from colonial rule.”
“The avowed and bold declaration of this principle of National Independence for Africans in Africa by George Grant may be regarded as, perhaps, his greatest contribution to the political independence movement which has resulted in the creation of independent sovereign states in contemporary Africa,” Dr Ako Adjei, one of the Big Six, observed in the book,
LIFE AND WORK OF GEORGE ALFRED GRANT (PAA GRANT).
It is instructive to note that though Dr Kwame Nkrumah had left the UGCC to form the CPP, he visited Paa Grant on his sickbed to personally inform him of the despatch he had received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies that her Majesty’s government had decided to grant Gold Coast independence on 6th March, 1957. Dr Nkrumah used the visit also to thank Paa Grant for the role he played as the president of the UGCC and his vision in fighting for the people of Ghana with his wealth.
Unfortunately, Paa Grant died six months to the attainment of the very independence he had fought for.
In 2007, a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) national vice chairman and MP for Jomoro, the late Lee Ocran, described Paa Grant as “the man who offered his personal resources for the emancipation of Gold Coast citizens but has not been accorded the honour he deserved.”
In that same year, the then Finance Minister, the late Kwadwo Baa-Wiredu, suggested that Paa Grant’s House be bought by the Museums and Monuments Board and preserved as a national monument.
Again in 2007, the then Convention People’s Party (CPP) MP for the Evalue/Ajomoro/Gwira constituency, the late Kojo Armah spoke highly of Paa Grant.
The Minority Leader of Parliament in 2007 and now Speaker of Parliament, the Right Honourable Alban Bagbin, described Paa Grant as the father of the movement for democracy, and said the country should go beyond naming flyovers after him. He called for extensive research to be conducted about Paa Grant to immortalise him for his contribution towards the country’s attainment of independence.
Early this year, the MP for Abuakwa South, Hon Atta Akyea, advocated for the image of Paa Grant to be featured on the Ghana cedi for his immense contribution towards the attainment of Ghana’s independence.
From how all political parties had recognized his contributions towards the total liberatuon of our country in its attainment of independence, one thing is certain and thar is, irrespective of one’s political inclination, there’s no contention that Paa Grant is the Father of Gold Coast politics.
Also, everyone agrees that not much has been done to immortalise Paa Grant for his selflessness and patriotism.
In 2018, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo named the University of Mines and Technology, Takwa, after George Grant. But is that enough?
