The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has hinted that one day the premier tertiary institution, the University of Ghana (UG) will be named after the late Joseph Boakye Dankwa.
According to the President, but for the polarised political environment in Ghana, naming the school after the man he said was the founder “would not have been out of place.”
Regardless, he made his point with forward-looking optimism, praising the exceptional role J.B Danquah played in bringing forth the institution.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking on Friday, August 11, 2023 as the special guest of honor at the 75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of the UG.
Though the President was not emphatic about whether the naming would happen before January 7, 2025, he made the point forcefully that the move would be in recognition of the “inestimable” work J.B Danquah did in mobilising Ghanaians to establish the university.
“Indeed, in many other jurisdictions where there is less heat in their politics and more attachment to the fact of historical record, it would not have been out of place to have this university named after him [JB Danquah]. Who knows, one day it may well happen,” Akufo-Addo hinted.”
He continued that “it will be wholly appropriate and not far-fetched to describe Joseph Boakye Danquah as the founder of this institution (UG), a fact that on the 75th anniversary of its existence it should be vividly recalled by all who are being and are the beneficiaries of his work.”
HISTORY
Going down memory lane, President Akufo-Addo recounted the history of UG following the setting up of the Elliot Commission in 1943, tasked by the colonial government to investigate the possibility of establishing a university in West Africa.
With a majority decision, the Commission recommended that two universities be established in the Gold Coast and Ibadan, Nigeria, for West Africa and a minority report also said that a single university was feasible.
The British government had earlier accepted the minority report that a single university be established in Nigeria, a decision the people of the Gold Coast rejected.
Led by J.B Danquah, the people of the Gold Coast, including farmers, insisted that the university be established in the Gold Coast and pressed upon the Gold Coast government to inform the British that they could support a university.
The British, having been convinced by the Gold Coast government that it could support a university college, reviewed its decision as recommended by the Elliot Commission and agreed to the establishment of the University College of the Gold Coast in 1948.
CELEBRATION
The Vice-Chancellor of UG, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, remarked that the 75th anniversary celebration had been a period of introspection and reflection, following the seven and a half decades of operation.
She indicated that the anniversary also afforded them the opportunity to take stock and re-strategise for the next seven decades.
The theme of the anniversary is: “Nurturing resilience: adopting technology, embracing humanism.”
Prof. Appiah Amfo explained the three keywords in the theme, saying that resilience was inspired by the tenacity of the university to stand tall amidst challenges.
The institution also has the quest to allow technology to drive its processes, which is “greater now than ever.”
For humanism, she said the university would not forget the public good in all its endeavors.
RESEARCH
The Vice Chancellor’s address preceded that of President Akufo-Addo, who urged all institutions in Ghana to focus their research on addressing social challenges and achieving economic prosperity.
While patting the UG on the back, he called on it to broaden its scope and link up with the industry and corporate world to undertake and implement research that practically solve societal issues.
“My government fully supports and shares your vision of becoming a research-intensive university and we will do everything we can to assist you in realising it,” he noted.
