Nifa, Nifa: Technopolitics, Regionalism, and Authoritarianism in Acheampongs Ghana

Abstract

In 1974, the Government of Ghana, under the leadership of Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, declared that all drivers in Ghana should switch to the right side of the road. In changing driving practice, Acheampong state asserted the full independence of Ghana from colonial influence. The actions of Acheampong National Redemption Council were in some ways unsurprising. Operation Keep Right , or Nifa, Nifa , was part of a set of policies marked by the more famous Operation Feed Yourself , which sought to free the country from the shackles of colonialism and reverse the deleterious impact of neocolonialism. While the focus on Operation Feed Yourself  has contributed to an image of the Acheampong government as isolationist, this paper uses Operation Keep Right  to examine the ways in which the Acheampong regime used technopolitics and authoritarianism to establish closer economic connections to other countries in the region. The speed and efficiency with which the campaign achieved its goals raises important questions about the role of authoritarianism in postcolonial Ghana. For drivers and passengers, postcolonial technopolitics were marked not only by instability, violence, and decline, but also by dramatic demonstrations of authority and power.