The Founder and Leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), Dr. Alhaji Hassan Ayariga, has delivered a thought-provoking message urging Ghanaians to rediscover their sense of national conscience, discipline, and integrity to restore Ghana’s lost glory as the “Black Star of Africa.”
In a powerful reflection titled “Ghana: The Black Star That Lost Its Shine,” Dr. Ayariga lamented that nearly seven decades after independence, the nation continues to struggle with self-inflicted challenges that undermine progress and unity.
He said Ghana’s greatest enemy was no longer colonialism but self-betrayal, corruption, and moral decay among its own citizens. “We are a nation rich in resources but poor in integrity. We shout patriotic slogans but cheat the very system we claim to love,” he wrote.
Dr. Ayariga recounted a striking story of a Ghanaian living in Japan who was told by a Japanese friend that Ghana’s history is studied “not for inspiration, but as a warning.” The Japanese acquaintance reportedly told him that Ghana’s downfall was caused not by British rule, but by the actions of its own people — those who enforced colonial oppression and later betrayed their own nation for power, privilege, and profit.
“Your own brothers enforced your oppression. That is not colonialism; that is self-betrayal,” the Japanese friend reportedly said — a line Dr. Ayariga used to highlight the enduring moral crisis facing the country.
The APC leader stressed that until Ghanaians embrace honesty, discipline, and loyalty as national virtues, no anthem, constitution, or flag could protect the country from failure. “Our problem is not the lack of laws or leaders; it is the absence of national character,” he declared.
Dr. Ayariga said true independence requires not only freedom from colonial rule but freedom from greed, dishonesty, and apathy. He warned that foreign interests were gradually taking control of Ghana’s economy and resources and urged citizens to unite against what he called “modern recolonisation.”
“Ghana must not be recolonised again. We must defend our sovereignty and our country,” he emphasized.
Calling for a renewed national spirit, Dr. Ayariga urged Ghanaians to set politics aside and rally behind a common goal of building a just and prosperous nation based on integrity and discipline.
“Ghana does not need more freedom fighters; it needs freedom keepers — citizens of unshakable conscience,” he concluded.
Read the full statement below!
GHANA: THE BLACK STAR THAT LOST ITS SHINE
In 1957, Ghana stood tall as the torchbearer of African freedom — the first sub-Saharan nation to break colonial chains. The world watched as we sang “Freedom!” and proclaimed ourselves the Black Star
