The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he does not wobble over the current economic situation facing the nation. According to him, he is compelled to maintain his composure as the leader of the nation to inspire confidence in the country, the reverse of which would not portend well.
The President was responding to a question posed by a student of Wesley Girls High School after some form two and three students of the school visited Jubilee House on Wednesday, February 16, 2023 to learn a thing or two about governance.
Abigail Nunu, a final year student, asked the President how he is “able to maintain your composure in the midst of all these challenges and crisis.”
RESPONSE BY PRESIDENT
Answering the question, which attracted a huge applause, the president said it was not right for a leader to panic when crisis erupts, lest the follower would be terrified and lose hope.
He was happy the students had recognised that there is crisis in the country, but he as the leader had maintain his calm, telling them it comes with the job.
“Apart from anything else, I think it has to do with the job. If I am wobbly, then it means Ghana is wobbly. As we have looked at, I am at the center of the stage. The problems that they are, all the difficulties that we recognize, if I am also seen to be uncertain, unstable, wobbly and anything it cannot be of any good for the country.
“I am compelled by where I am to be stable, to be composed to make sure that I reflect that for the people of Ghana and that they understand that the problems that they are going through are surmountable, and not ones in which we have to hang our heads and be defeated.
“But it is important and I think in leadership that you do show the composure so that events, when they occur, are events that can be surmounted and controlled,” he remarked.
COVID AS EXAMPLE
President Akufo-Addo, continuing his response, cited the era of the novel Coronavirus, which he described as the most dramatic aspect of his presidency.
He indicated that when he heard of the pandemic, he kept his focus, and quickly took steps to prepare the nation, should it surface in Ghana.
He further said that he took that step because he had learnt the source of the virus and how Ghanaians travelled to and from China.
He indicated that he recognized immediately that there was a problem, but same ought to be approached systematically.
He concluded the example by recalling how the world admired Ghana, with even the World Health Organisation (WHO) hailing the nation for handling the COVID effectively.
“I was in Switzerland for an official visit, turned on the television early in the morning – I don’t know whether BBC or CNN was reporting on the outburst of a pandemic in China. And I immediately got very alarmed because I know about the intercourse between us and China. On daily basis Ghanaian women and traders are going to various parts of China.
“…So, immediately I recognized that there was a problem but there was the need for us to approach this problem systematically so that we don’t get overwhelmed by this epidemic…”
