Features
What a hardworking President ! (final part)
From all indications, it has been established beyond reasonable doubt, from the practical demonstration of the President’s agenda, that he is a visionary and hardworking President needed at this time in our political and economic history for the rapid transformation of the Ghanaian society.
Indeed, there is no doubt that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a hardworking and visionary President who is committed to transforming the economy of Ghana and raising the standard of living of Ghanaians. Many were those who doubted him when he mentioned that Free Senior High School, Technical and Vocational Training could all be made real in this country. The doubting Thomases counter-argued that he was only using it as a ploy to get votes for himself and his party.
VISION OF INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
Today, it has been established beyond reasonable doubt that he has a vision of integrated development agenda aimed at linking up the human resource base of this country with its natural resources also available to the country and blending them in a manner that will result in rapid socio-economic development for the country. This effort has also been collaborated with foreign alliances in form of economic co-operation in various sectors of the economy, including health, education, transportation, roads as well as trade and industry.
The President’s achievement today is unique, seeing that every step he is taking is meant to bring about progress and development. He is one President who does not sit at one place in Accra and take personal glory to himself. He comes to the office very early in the morning and continues working till late in the night. All these are done in addition to undertaking his daily programmes of carrying out sod cutting programmes and commissioning projects that have been completed in various parts of the country.
ROAD PROJECTS
The numerous construction of road projects going on in various parts of the country show that if President Akufo-Addo had not come in at this time, things would have been worse as far as road construction is concerned. Many communities are crying for construction of their roads so that they can be like others they have encountered, but all these will be done with time to the glory of God and the noble people of Ghana.
In addition to what takes place in this country, he is seen very often moving out to other countries and telling them about the “good news” of the attractive investment climate currently prevailing in the country. In other words, the President is always moving round the country to be in touch with the people, find out their needs and to explore the various forms of work and investments going on round the country, contrary to being an arm-chair liberator and being confined to the capital city of Accra as some leaders did.
This is the President the country needs currently to ensure that socio-economic development takes us to a higher level of achievement. Not long ago, the late former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, while he was alive, made it clear that “we are fortunate to have President Akufo-Addo in Ghana at this time”. When he made this point, many people especially those in his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), did not like it because as is usually their nature, they would never want the current President to be praised for his good work even though they know what the truth is.
As has been pointed out already, when the late President made this point, his own party members did not like it because they felt that he was praising President Akufo-Addo too much but they had wanted him to cast insults at him in line with their usual “unpalatable” characteristics. The late President insisted that was the case and that it was not because he wanted to shower too much praise on President Akufo-Addo, but to praise him and let the world know what the true position is in the country.
TREMENDOUS STRENGTH
The point has been made that President Akufo-Addo keeps moving to all parts of the country exhibiting tremendous strength inspecting programmes and investments going on in the country, the latest being his visit to the Western and Western North regions, Oti and Volta regions and other parts of the country. He is doing this not because he is in a mood of travel-happy but finding out for himself what the true situation is. This dynamism of performance is part of his character. It cannot be taken away from him, so we need to admire him for what he truly is.
The massive strength of the President can influence and make you think that probably he is only 40 years even though he is far older, being 77 years. For this reason, many people agree that he must be appreciated by all and sundry irrespective of one’s political affiliation and/or association.
President Akufo-Addo is a visionary leader because his programmes are meant to transform the economy and give massive employment to more people in the country. The numerous factories set up in the districts are meant to create opportunities of employment for the youth in the country. In addition,the factories and other business opportunities will make Ghana less independent on other countries for their needs. For example, instead of depending on other countries for food, Ghana today has become a net exporter of these items, a testimony to the fact that it is giving real meaning to its independence of other countries.
TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMES
Programmes like One District One Factory (1D1F), Free Senior High School, Technical and Vocational Education, transformation of the banking sector, massive investments in the health sector in form of the construction of 111 regional and district hospitals as well as the supply of one ambulance to each constituency, the use of drones for the distribution of medicines etc. are a testimony to the great effort being made by President Akufo-Addo and his administration.
In addition, the setting up of automobile industry in the country together with many other achievements like the courageous fight against COVID-19 shows that President Akufo-Addo means good business for the people of Ghana. We also saw not long ago, the President’s visit to Germany aimed at wooing investors to come and partner Ghana in the investment drive. Wherever he goes, he sells Ghana, rather than destroy it as some people in the country shamelessly and embarrassingly prefer to do.
GREAT HARVEST
In the light of all these, the situation in Ghana is comparable to what the Lord Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:2 that “the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few …” In one sense, it means that so great was the harvest of souls that the labourers were few and, therefore, more people were needed to help in the work.
In the Ghanaian context of national reconstruction and development, more people are needed to join the President to help the country to grow to a higher pedestal of development where we all want it to be.For this reason, God should bless the country, stimulate it, and encourage everyone to pay his/her dues in form of contribution to national progress, smooth and uninterrupted forward-movement as well as unparalleled development.
Contact email/whatsApp of author:
pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
BY DR. KOFI AMPONSAH-BEDIAKO
One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.
Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.
These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.
In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.
Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.
Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.
These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.
Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.
Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”
Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.
My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.
According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND-THOMPSON
