Today, the World Bank Ghana Office joins
the Government and people of Ghana in commemorating the 100th birthday of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The vision for a better future developed so eloquently by this great son of Africa still drives this nation's work, and ours, today. His words of wisdom remain alive with meaning and urgency:
"We shall measure our progress by the improvement in the health of our people; by the number of children in school, and by the quality of their education; by the availability of water and electricity in our towns and villages, and by the happiness which our people take in being able to manage their own affairs..." Broadcast to the Nation. December 24, 1957
His ambitious vision for the modernization of Ghana lives on. Some of it has been achieved through hard work -- his, and that of successive
Governments. Nkrumah's early efforts have allowed Ghana today to be one of the countries in Africa with the highest electricity coverage of about
65% and literacy rate of about 70%. His emphasis on national value addition through the accumulation of capital and skills, and through
innovation and hard work, and his ability to mobilize people in Ghana and beyond on the path of social, economic and political emancipation are as relevant today as yesterday.
But much remains to be done. The lesson of the past decades is that while progress is possible, it is not easy, and the road is full of ambushes
and unexpected difficulties.
There are many aspects of Nkrumah's vision which we, at the World Bank identify with. We have financed projects that range from the development
of electricity, national highways and ports, health (including insurance), education (including higher and vocational education), and to agriculture (including cocoa rehabilitation and irrigation), just to mention a few. We are now poised to support the emerging oil and gas
sector and help develop local capacities in science and technology and creative industries, while emphasizing the strengthening of institutions to promote transparency and accountability.
We pledge on this day to continue to work with Ghanaians in all spheres of life to identify and eliminate the constraints that remain, or the new
ones that emerge, so that together we call all strive to advance Ghana's socio-economic development.

Ishac Diwan
World Bank Country Director for Ghana