The Inconvenient Truth with Professor Douglas BOATENG: When recognition waits for death, reform dies with the reformer

…How delayed honour undermines generational progress and institutional integrity

There exists a deeply uncomfortable, yet necessary, truth quietly buried beneath national pride and political pageantry: societies, particularly in Africa, often reserve their loudest celebrations and grandest gestures of appreciation for those whose voices can no longer ask for support, challenge institutions, or defend their ideals.

Across the continent, and indeed in many parts of the world, there is a painful irony that plays out again and again: we remember those we ignored, honour those we underfunded, and immortalise those we barely acknowledged when they needed us the most. Every fallen hero leaves behind two haunting questions: Was it worth it? Will it matter?

Statues for the dead, silence for the living

In many African nations, national greatness is too often recognised only in death. We have become proficient at commissioning statues and renaming streets after individuals whose lives were marked by quiet struggle and institutional neglect. Obituaries often carry more sincerity and national appreciation than any tangible budget or policy during a hero’s lifetime.

Educators, scientists, reformers, whistleblowers, our true nation-builders, are frequently left to fend for themselves with little more than moral courage and personal sacrifice. In life, their proposals are dismissed or delayed. In death, their legacies are embraced with poetic fanfare.

We fund funerals, not visions. We erect statues, not structures of support

The case of Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh is emblematic. In 2014, she made the bold and selfless decision to quarantine Nigeria’s Ebola index patient, likely saving countless lives. At the time, she lacked both a formal legal framework and institutional backing. Only after her passing was she widely celebrated.

Her name is now honoured, but in her most critical moment, she stood virtually alone. This pattern is not unique to Nigeria, Ghana, or South Africa. It is a continental, and perhaps global, affliction.

We export heroes, then import praise

Africa is not short of heroes. What it often lacks is the conviction to celebrate them while they are still among us. Take Professor Wangari Maathai, the late Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Long before she earned global acclaim, she was mocked, arrested, and marginalised in her homeland. National recognition only followed international validation; a troubling pattern that raises an inconvenient question: Why must African excellence await global endorsement before it is recognised at home?

We are often quicker to eulogise our heroes on international news networks than to empower them within national policy frameworks. We delay honour until history leaves us no choice. We wait until greatness dies before documenting it. We delay honour until legacy is no longer negotiable.

Poetic paradoxes and institutional betrayals

Every African country has its unsung nation-builders: teachers who shaped future presidents, engineers who laid the foundations of skylines, civil servants who defended the democratic process. Many die in obscurity, nameless, penniless, and largely invisible to the very states they helped shape.

The applause begins only after the breathing stops. Our institutions are structured to revere the dead but sideline the living. Awards are conferred when it is safest, after the call for reform has died alongside its champion. We bury courage and reward compliance. We punish those who live by principle, only to later romanticise their bravery.

When courage is silenced

The late Ahmed Hussein-Suale, a Ghanaian investigative journalist, was tragically murdered in 2019 following his undercover work exposing corruption in football. His bravery triggered swift public outrage. But what followed was a deafening institutional silence. During his mission, there were few protective structures.

After his death, there were many speeches but little systemic change. We expect heroes to rise without shields, only to offer medals once they fall. We shout praise where once we whispered indifference. Funeral tributes too often become poetic apologies. In life, we overlook their ideas. In death, we mourn their absence.

If gratitude begins at death, it was never gratitude

A nation’s gratitude should never depend on mortality. When we only recognise value after death, we convert appreciation into guilt. The scientist fighting neglected diseases. The teacher serving underserved communities.

The civil servant refusing bribes. These are the roots of national transformation. Yet we celebrate influencers more than innovators. We quote slogans, not solutions. In doing so, we slowly dismantle the very architecture of long-term development.

What history doesn’t forget, we shouldn’t either

The brilliant Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, an Ethiopian scientist and policy negotiator, was a pioneer in shaping Africa’s position on biodiversity and biosafety. Globally revered, his work protected African nations from exploitative patenting of indigenous knowledge. Yet domestically, his contributions barely made headlines.

Today, his name is scarcely mentioned, despite shaping environmental policy for a generation. Legacy is not what we build after someone dies. It is what we refuse to break while they live.

Across boardrooms, classrooms, laboratories, and policy units, countless individuals continue to give their best to society. They work in anonymity, not seeking fame, but committed to purpose. These individuals should not be invisible in their prime, only to be hailed in eulogies later.

The cost of neglect is generational

When a society consistently fails to acknowledge its living heroes, it sends a dangerous message to the next generation:

• That integrity leads to isolation.
• That sacrifice brings suffering.
• That courage invites punishment.

And so, talent turns away. Idealism fades. Bravery recedes into conformity. Youth see that silence ensures survival, while boldness guarantees marginalisation. If we only honour the dead, the living may stop striving altogether. If we fail to support our heroes in life, we risk losing the very mentors future generations need.

Another name lost – Koitalel Arap Samoei

Consider Koitalel Arap Samoei, the spiritual and military leader of the Nandi resistance against British colonialism in Kenya. He led his people for over a decade but was assassinated in 1905 under a flag of truce. For years, his sacrifice was overshadowed in official narratives. Only recently has his legacy begun receiving the public recognition it deserves, generations too late. We must ask: how many more stories are still buried?

Let us reform while they still breathe

This truth, however inconvenient, is not immutable. We can choose to honour differently, to remember in real time. Societies thrive when they acknowledge greatness as it unfolds, not just after the curtain falls. It is time to institutionalise respect, not just express it.

Let us:

• Reconfigure national honours to reflect living contributions, not just historical symbolism.
• Allocate special pensions, healthcare, and public advisory roles for verified public servants who demonstrate integrity and excellence.
• Establish legacy mentorship programmes, enabling our elders to pass down wisdom, not just be remembered in archives.
• Document achievements as they occur, ensuring history is lived, not lost.

Celebrate the living, inspire the future

When we celebrate the living, we do more than acknowledge individual achievement; we ignite a chain of hope. Heroes who are seen become role models. Role models create continuity. Continuity fosters progress. We must shift from creating martyrs to nurturing mentors. From romanticising sacrifice to rewarding impact. By elevating today’s reformers, we create tomorrow’s trailblazers. We honour not just individuals, but the values they represent.

Conclusion – It must matter before it ends

In moments of national grief, we often say: “We thank them for their service.” But service, like truth, must be valued in real time. Not in mourning. Not on marble plaques. Not only after they are gone. The next fallen hero will leave behind two questions: Was it worth it? Will it matter?

Let us not wait for another obituary to answer. Let us act with sincerity and urgency to show that their service mattered when it counted. Let us honour the brave not in death, but in decision-making. Not in grief, but in gratitude. Not in history books alone, but in policies, protections, and platforms.

Because if we continue to decorate the coffins of the courageous while ignoring their cause while they breathe, we are not just being neglectful, we are architecting our own decline. And history, no matter how poetic our speeches or how tall our statues, will not forget that truth.

>>>the writer is a globally celebrated thought leader, Chartered Director, industrial engineer, supply chain management expert, and social entrepreneur known for his transformative contributions to industrialisation, procurement, and strategic sourcing in developing nations.

As Africa’s first Professor Extraordinaire for Supply Chain Governance and Industrialization, he has advised governments, businesses, and policymakers, driving sustainability and growth. During his tenure as Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and Labadi Beach Hotel, he led these institutions to global recognition for innovation and operational excellence. He is also the past chairman of the Public Procurement Authority.

A prolific author of over 90 publications, he is the creator of NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom), a thought-provoking platform with over one million daily readers. Through his visionary leadership, Professor Boateng continues to inspire ethical governance, innovation, and youth empowerment, driving Africa toward a sustainable and inclusive future.

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