Ghana's independence and Africa's new displacement crisis
| 07:37 UK time, Monday, 7 March 2011
That was the verdict of , when I asked him for his views on Ghana as the country celebrated its 54th birthday.
Just before we spoke, I had watched as members of Ghana's army had released celebratory blank rounds from a cannon outside the square.
The smoke from the rounds enveloped the famous Independence memorial, obscuring the black star atop it that symbolises the country.
But these cannons have never been used in anger in defence of Ghana. Neither have the three Mig jets that flew overhead, nor the long columns of army and navy forces that paraded in front of the crowds that had filled the stands all around the square.
It was not just Hayford - many of the people we spoke to during the two hour-long display expressed their pride at the benefits 54 years of relative stability has brought.
Meanwhile we spoke to women milling around carrying huge bowls of pineapples and bananas on their heads, and a couple of the hundreds of men wearing football shirts of Premiership football clubs.
"A lot of people from outside have come to visit us in this country, and I'm very happy," said Kenneth, bedecked in the shirt of West Ham (although he later confessed he actually supports Liverpool).
But there are now many more people coming to Ghana - but not because they want to visit. The violence in Ivory Coast, which stems from the disputed presidential election last year, is triggering
There are now warnings that the country may be set for civil war. Certainly, the violence is getting deadlier by the day.
The International Organisation for Migration, which is monitoring the situation, says 50,000 people now displaced in Danane, Duekoue and Man, and at least 20,000 estimated people have been forcibly displaced in Abidjan following clashes late last week.
"Those arriving have nothing left and are in urgent need of both humanitarian assistance and transport," they say.
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And it is to Takoradi we are headed, literally the moment this blog post is published. We are hoping to talk to some of the displaced, and to some of the 6,000 Ghanaians who have had to leave their jobs in Ivory Coast.
Their view on the contrast between their home country and their former hosts will be very interesting.
