The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed profound gratitude for the privilege to be president of the Republic of Ghana, describing it as “the greatest honour” of his life.
According to the President, he does not take the honour lightly, as it was done to him not once, but twice.
President Akufo-Addo expressed his appreciation to Ghanaians on Monday, August 5, 2024 at Jubilee House, where he hosted some senior citizens to lunch, in commemoration of this year’s Founders’ Day celebration.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to have served as president not once, but twice,” he remarked.
However, President Akufo-Addo did not mark himself poorly, saying “I’ve done my best.” His justification is that his term as president was characterised by extreme setbacks, hindering the smooth progress of the Ghanaian economy and the world at large.
Reflecting on the turmoil he had to manoeuvre, he signalled out the novel coronavirus, which effect sent economies of great nations into recession, with Ghana not spared either.
He recalled how his government weathered the storm without losing as many human lives, as had been predicted.
On the back of that, President Akufo-Addo literally beat his chest to say that he had “done his best, especially in steering the ship of state through the deeply troubled times of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.”
He continued that, “it’s been a very difficult time, but I believe most of us can see that we are now turning the corner and returning our economy back to normalcy and reviving growth, the growth that made our economy one of the fastest-growing economies in the world in the years, prior to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.”
LAST CHALLENGE
President Akufo-Addo informed his guests that the battle had not ended, though issues of the stubborn COVID-19 seem to be in the past, but he assured that the remaining challenge was not unsurmountable.
He indicated that the last hurdle for him before he “willingly” steps down as president on January 7, 2025 is to preside over peaceful and fair elections in December.
“And that is a commitment that, with the help of all Ghanaians, I intend to realise. The people of Ghana deserve no less than to be given the best atmosphere in which to choose freely their next president and parliament. I intend to ensure that our reputation as the beacon of democracy and stability in Africa and the world is maintained,” he asserted.
4TH AUGUST
It would be recalled that in his message to mark this year’s Founders’ Day celebration, President Akufo-Addo debunked notions that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is the only founder of Ghana.
His statement over the weekend resurrected the longstanding disagreement between his side and the section of Ghanaians who held the view that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is the founder of Ghana.
Addressing the senior citizens he hosted to lunch yesterday, President Akufo-Addo rehashed his stance by stating that the decision by Parliament some time in 2019 to honour Dr. Nkrumah with a Memorial Day and preserve the history attached to August 4 was “a good consensus.”
“I know that there are some who question my commitment to this ceremony, that is 4th August as Founders’ Day, because they believe that we were all asleep in Ghana until the arrival of Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP.
“I have already stated my views on that several times, including in my speech last Saturday evening. I don’t intend to go over that matter again,” he said.
“Suffice it to say that I believe that the consensus that parliament arrived at in 2019, honouring Kwame Nkrumah with a Memorial Day and preserving the historical importance and significance of August 4th in our history is a good consensus, and it deserves to last,” he added.
