Word: ankrah
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Nkrumah's spending and bribe taking led in 1966 to his overthrow by the military leaders. Lieut. General Joseph Ankrah became Ghana's new head of state, dedicated to reform. Ankrah and his followers pledged that they would "stamp out corruption" and their upright regime seemed to be doing just that. But last week Ankrah was also forced out of office. Reason: he took a bribe...
According to a government statement, Ankrah received nearly $30,000 from foreign businessmen in Accra. As the official version put it, when Ankrah was confronted with the evidence by government officials, "he accepted full responsibility for the unfortunate incident and offered to resign honorably." By West African standards, Ankrah had always been a model of honesty; for that reason, despite his admitted indiscretion, he will probably not be punished...
Ghana's new ruler is Brigadier Akwasi A. Afrifa, 33, who has served as Finance Minister. Like Ankrah, Afrifa is a Sandhurst-trained career officer who also held a command in Ghana's U.N. expeditionary force to the Congo. Under Afrifa's management, Ghana has been living frugally on an austerity budget. That is also Afrifa's personal style: he lives in a modest bungalow and drives a small station wagon...
There was something besides the bribe behind Ankrah's sudden departure. Ghana is scheduled to hold national elections in September and return to civilian rule. Politically ambitious, Ankrah needed the money to pay for a survey that assessed his chances of winning the presidency. There may also have been tribal jealousies involved. Ankrah is a member of the Ga tribe, dominant around the capital, and Afrifa belongs to the Ashantis. Furthermore, Afrifa is a supporter of a fellow Ashanti, former Opposition Leader Kofi Abrefa Busia, who is a candidate for the presidency...
...constitution goes through, Ankrah, 52, a genial member of a fishing and farming tribe who was educated by Methodists and trained at a British officers' school, will no doubt be the front-running candidate for Ghana's presidency. Though all the council officers disavow any interest in politics, Ankrah lately seems to be enjoying mixing with crowds. His speaking voice, which has an embarrassing tendency to reak into a high register, has become more confident. He has even sent his wife off to a charm school in London. Then, too, he could easily qualify as the father...