A contributor to public discourse on Kumasi’s Pure FM, popularly known as Okatakyie Afrifa, once argued that the oft-quoted declaration by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, that “the Black man is capable of managing his own affairs,” was merely a political rhetoric.
While such a position may appear provocative, it reflects a broader stream of skepticism rooted in what many scholars describe as the enduring effects of colonial mentality and internalized doubt.
Within African scholarship and postcolonial studies, Nkrumah’s statement has been widely interpreted not as a rhetorical flourish but as a deliberate ideological assertion, intended to inspire confidence and challenge African nations to assume control over their political and economic destinies.
It is instructive that MTN Group remains the only African brand among the ten most admired brands on the continent, while the rest are dominated by foreign-owned global corporations. This reality warrants critical reflection. Why does Africa, despite its abundant resources, human capital, and expanding consumer markets, continue to struggle to build competitive indigenous brands? More fundamentally, why does public discourse so often exhibit greater confidence in foreign enterprises than in local ownership and management of strategic assets?
This question became particularly relevant amid the public uproar over the attempted acquisition of SSNIT Hotels by Ghanaian businessman Hon. Dr. Bryan Acheampong. The resistance to the transaction was not fundamentally about whether he had the financial capacity or business competence to undertake the acquisition. Rather, much of the criticism was rooted in politics and the discomfort that often arises when a local actor seeks to control a major national asset.
Many countries have adopted deliberate policy frameworks to protect indigenous businesses, nurture local entrepreneurs, and strengthen domestic ownership to build national wealth. Such countries understand that economic sovereignty is not sustained by political independence alone, but by empowering citizens to participate in production, ownership, and enterprise.
Ghana has also made several attempts since independence to support local entrepreneurship, but these efforts have too often been undermined by political upheaval, weak institutions, and a lack of long-term strategic commitment. (World Bank, 2020)
In the wake of the ‘Revolution,’ state-led ventures under the Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation, Abosso Glass Factory, the Ghana Match Company, Pwalugu Tomato Factory, and Nsawam Cannery were weakened by mismanagement, policy inconsistency, and eventual divestiture (Kwame Ninsin, 1991; World Bank, 1994).
At the same time, flagship firms such as Akosombo Textiles Limited, Ghana Textile Printing Company, and Juapong Textiles Limited lost their total dominance under the combined pressure of trade liberalization, smuggling, and counterfeit imports, leading to closures, layoffs, or foreign takeovers, according to Stiglitz (2002).
The cumulative effect was not merely the collapse of businesses, but a gradual erosion of confidence in Ghanaian ownership and the capacity of local entrepreneurs to sustain large-scale enterprises.
Today, the Ghanaian entrepreneur is gradually building successful businesses, managing strategic assets, and contributing meaningfully to national development. What has often failed is not the entrepreneur, but the environment within which that entrepreneur must operate. Our politics has too often been intrusive. And our public discourse has too often treated local ownership with more suspicion than foreign domination.
Yet, even within this long history of “Smiling Assassins” and diminished confidence in indigenous enterprise, there are emerging signs that Ghana can begin to reclaim the economic philosophy envisioned by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
A particularly compelling example is the transition of the Damang Mine into local ownership under Engineers & Planners (E&P). At a time when debates around local participation in strategic sectors are intensifying, E&P’s entry into mine ownership should be understood not as an anomaly but as the natural progression of a company that has spent decades building capacity within the mining industry.
Founded and led by Ghanaian entrepreneur Ibrahim Mahama, Engineers & Planners has, for years, been one of the most prominent indigenous mining and construction firms in Ghana.
The company has operated extensively as a contractor to major multinational mining companies, including Gold Fields Limited and other large-scale operators within the country. Through these engagements, E&P has developed deep technical expertise in mine support services, including contract mining, earthworks, equipment management, and large-scale project execution. Its long-standing presence in the sector means it is not a newcomer experimenting with unfamiliar terrain, but a seasoned industry player transitioning from contractor to asset owner.
This distinction is critical. For many years, Ghanaian firms have been confined to the periphery of high-value industries, serving as subcontractors while ownership and strategic control remained largely in foreign hands. E&P’s evolution challenges that structure. It demonstrates that local companies, when given the opportunity and the enabling environment, can move up the value chain from service provision to full operational control.
The Damang transition, therefore, is not merely a business acquisition; it is a structural statement about indigenous capability.
Moreover, E&P’s track record provides a level of credibility that should anchor public discourse. Having worked within the operational ecosystems of multinational mining firms, the company has been exposed to international standards in safety, efficiency, environmental management, and corporate governance.
This experience positions it well to manage complex mining operations, while also localizing value creation in ways that benefit the Ghanaian economy more directly.
The broader significance of this development lies in what it represents for Ghana’s economic future. For decades, the narrative, sometimes explicit, sometimes implied, has been that Ghanaians lack the capacity to manage large-scale, capital-intensive enterprises. Yet companies like Engineers & Planners quietly built that capacity over time, often without the spotlight, operating in the background as enablers of foreign-led operations.
What we are witnessing now is the emergence of that accumulated experience into full ownership and control.
At a time when concerns and controversies may arise around certain transactions within the mining sector, public discourse must remain grounded in evidence and historical context. E&P’s journey is not one of sudden elevation, but of gradual growth, resilience, and proven industry participation. If anything, its current position should be seen as a validation of a broader principle: that indigenous enterprise, when nurtured and allowed to evolve, can reach the commanding heights of the economy.
In doing so, the country would not only honor Nkrumah’s vision but also lay the foundation for a more inclusive and self-reliant economic future, one in which the Black man is not merely capable of managing his own affairs but actively does so at the highest levels of industry.
Congratulations, Engineers and Planners!
Source: Kwame Adinkra (PhD)
