– Prez. Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that though Ghana has a lot to be proud of, there is more work to be done to make it even better.
For instance, in the area of democracy, he noted that, the country has remained stable for the past 31 years due the hard work of Ghanaians.
“It is important to note that the democratic system of government we have today was not given to us at independence. All the defining elements of a democracy, that are part of our governance architecture today, we have had to fabricate ourselves. Everything we know about elections today, and we know quite a bit, we have learnt through hard practice, and, in the past thirty-one (31) years, we have been stable”, he said.
The President said this when he addressed the 67th Independence Day parade at Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This year’s celebration was on the theme: Our Democracy, Our Pride.
President Akufo-Addo noted that though the country does not have a perfect system, every election during this 4th Republic, has been an improvement on the previous one.
Another important ingredient in the democratic structure, which is needed for economic prosperity, he said, is the rule of law, adding that we cannot hope for economic prosperity without adhering to the rule of law.
“For it to be effective, and have a positive influence, it must be applicable to all aspects of our lives, and to all of us; on the streets, in offices and work places; to junior officials, and Chief Executives, to traditional leaders and Members of Parliament, to famous artistes and footballers and, yes, to the President”, he stressed.
President Akufo-Addo called on Ghanaians to treat the land and other resources God has gifted us with loving care, stating that “we cannot claim to love Ghana when we treat with such disdain and total careless abandon, the forests, the rivers, the vegetation, the creatures and the soils that make up Ghana. Unless we change how we treat the land, future generations would not recognise the Ghana they read about in the land we bequeath to them”.
The stated that the country has made great strides in certain aspects but for as long as there is poverty and injustice anywhere in Ghana, there is more work to be done. He identified provision of good quality education to all of Ghana’s children and young people as one of the greatest challenges in the country.
He called for attitudinal change among the citizenry to cause the better years that we all yearn for. “We owe it to ourselves and to the rest of Africa to continue to have a democracy of which we can be proud. And we owe it to ourselves and to the rest of Africa to be a prosperous nation, and we shall get there”, he concluded.
The Special Guest of Honour at the celebration was President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire who commended Ghana for not only leading Africa’s struggle for independence but for also paving the way for many African countries to liberate themselves from colonial rule.
