ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
They are full of market women, fisherwomen and farmers toiling in the sun to feed the children on their backs and those they have left behind at home.
They are full of young mothers and fathers who are balancing family life, work obligations, and entrepreneurial ambitions: the young mother and yes, the young father who often has to manage family life, employment or entrepreneurship seamlessly.
We are a people who jump over many hurdles.
Walking that road is an act of courage.
That experience is a forge of character.
Villages and towns across our country are full of brilliant young people with great ambitions and boundless energy.
They are full of young people who rightly aspire to a better life than their parents had, and to bring their own children into a better Ghana than their parents did.
Throughout the years, I have been blessed to meet and interact with numerous Ghanaians in every region of our country whose experiences echo mine.
I have taught and mentored thousands of youth from all walks of life over the course of my career.
And I have always been inspired by their passion, by their positivity, and by their desire to succeed.
But without good, meaningful opportunities, all of that toil and resilience and determination sum up to nothing but frustration and all of that youthful energy amounts to yet more wasted potential.
Far too often in this country, that is how the story ends.
And so clearing the hurdles in their path; giving them a hand up and not just a hand out; and offering them plans and not just promises - these must be the immediate priorities of our national agenda.
In today’s turbulent political and economic climate, there are four crucial factors to consider in tackling issues relating to youth and gender.
First, we must be mindful of the fact that 60% of our population will be under the age of 30 in a few years.
That is why it is so critical that we systematically reform all our systems to effectively address the aspirations of our youth and country.
Second, we need meaningful, quality and comprehensive education that goes beyond access and responds to the future we can actualize Third, we must leverage on vocational and technical training to equip many into meaningful and fulfilling work.
Fourth, we must provide opportunities that transcend political patronage, ‘connection’ and the practice of whom- you- know.
Equal and fair opportunities based on merit are an imperative for sustainable economic growth.
The time for that shift is now Truth be told, despite all our challenges, Ghana remains a special place where any dream is possible, where every aspiration matters, and where anyone - be it a little boy from Bole or a little girl from Komenda - can grow up to be anything they want to be.
Even President.
Even Vice President.
This is why we love this country so much.
We must continue to make it a place we cherish and are proud to belong to, and a place of opportunities.
In the past and more so very recently, I have had extensive discussions with H.E.
John Mahama about issues confronting our country and his vision for the coming years.
These have been broad, passionate and engaging.
In John Mahama you find a person who is thoughtful, visionary, makes no claim to perfection and admits to mistakes or missteps and valuable lessons learnt.
Our society will be better served with such down-to-earth, considerate and reflective leadership.
We have chosen the path of peace, inclusiveness, self-reliance and belief in ourselves.
It is an important avenue through which to turn our current circumstances into opportunities that yield great dividends for us all.
And ‘us’ includes generations unborn.
Their lives also matter.
It is clear that with the right direction and resolve, with all of us being part of the forward march, our country is destined for greatness.
We can and must right the course of our country.
We all admit that we can put our country on a firmer, more sustainable path, a path of peace, in order to move forth in ways that are meaningful and clear.
At this time, may I say to the SHS students who are in school taking your final exams: I have children your age in same situation too, even if not biological.
I understand the difficult situation you are going through and, especially, the anxiety that you have as some of your colleagues and staff got infected by COVID-19.
There are also, sadly, reports of deaths of students.
The partisan nature of our politics today makes it difficult to even ask the most basic questions about the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic without triggering a political brawl.
All the same, my condolences to the families; many of us share in your loss.
I ask all of us to be very disciplined about following the World Health Organization Guidelines and the Government Directives and taking good care of yourselves.
Some of you will understand these protocols better than others; share the knowledge; let’s save lives, regardless.
Countrymen and women, All we are doing right now is what has always been a very simple exercise of registration.
What is not so simple this time is that the exercise is taking place in a time of a dreadful pandemic that is still evolving, and our case numbers still rising.
As if this is not bad enough, the level of violence, brute force, blood-letting and sheer breakdown of law and order in an otherwise straightforward act of registering to vote is unbefitting of this nation that was until recently, a fulcrum of democracy in our region.
How did we descend into this situation?
The answer is simple: when there appears to be selective justice; when some offenders are not even placed on the hook but are hailed and promoted for being nasty and violent, the logical outcome is what we see.
This situation of people dying, being harassed, because they have decided to register to vote, is not a story we can tell any child in the future, especially when the curriculum is hinged on tolerance.
What will be our response if they pose their favorite question: “Why” or if they add a few words and ask the storyteller: “So what did you do?”
Or, « and what did you say to that? «
We need to show up and vote come December 7th.
Each one of us must jealously guard our sacred right to vote and reject the attempts by some to disenfranchise millions of voters.
We are all Ghanaians, and we love this country deeply.
Do not let anyone make you feel otherwise.
The choice we have in this election is clear: we can either build a Ghana where every citizen regardless of background is afforded equal opportunity to become their best selves.
Or we can continue on a path where a few people attempt to control and dictate the destiny of the people who have given them the privilege to govern.
Let our politics deviate from this unproductive path of injustice and non-peace.
Ghana does not belong to any select few.
We The People, all of us, are the protectors and owners of this country for our collective good and for that of generations unborn.
What makes Ghana so special is that - despite our various ethnic groups, religions, and diverse backgrounds - we all come together as one people under one flag, inspired by the sacrifices of our ancestors to create a great country.
And everyone’s ancestor has been a worthy contributor to this space now called Ghana, whose artificial borders, sadly, we seek to make even more artificial, as if our continent has not suffered enough from the initial assault.
We have come too far as a nation to still cling to our primordial tribal bigotries.
Diversity is a source of great strength.
Whether you are GA, MFANTSE, SISALI, EWE, GONJA, ASANTE, NZEMA, MAMPRUSI, or any other ethnic group, you are valued as a Ghanaian.
You have every right to walk with confidence, with a high resolve to make huge contributions to this nation.
Let nobody, let no one question your identity or patriotism.
It is time to put all these needless, unproductive and backward distractions behind us and get on with the serious business of nation building.
The 21 st century is nearly 20% over.
We shouldn’t be here, as a country, living with inexcusable insanitary conditions, with our babies still dying of malaria; our women delivering on the bare floor, our youth bewildered and unable to see their way ahead, parents confused about the future their children face and the quality of education they are getting.
If we choose to be anywhere as a country, the destination should not include a place where a 90 year old woman, Akua Denteh, is stoned to death because someone has decided that she is a witch.
I call on our security agencies to convince us that she has not died in vain.
As indicated, the 21 st Century is nearly 20% gone and we shouldn’t be here, the very foundations of our democracy is so threatened by unimaginable levels of arrogance, intolerance and violence; humans playing God; our economy is struggling; our tongues tied to the roof of our mouths; our citizens feeling unsafe; our farmers unsure of when to plant crops due to climate change; our environments under severe threats; our youth perishing on their way to find better lives; our institutions to which we should run for succor rapidly losing credibility; children who should be in school becoming unwitting brides, when we all know that marriage is not a child’s business.
At a time of a growing number of cases and deaths arising from the pandemic of COVID-19, with their attendant fears and uncertainties; at a time when some of our children are leaving school not any more literate than when they entered; others graduating into unemployment; the vulnerable uncared for, none of us should be here, behaving as if the best antidote to all of these is to flex muscles, turn aspects of our protective institutions into agents of intimidation; and arrogate to ourselves the right to alienate people who have always lived on this part of our continent, long before some did, and who have served our country with distinction.
We can spend all those resources on ways to confront our artificial borders and work towards the inclusion that solidifies our continent.
Let me assure our youth, that we have not always been like this.
I have had endless conversations with many of you, and I can understand your frustrations and sense of despair.
But, as I keep assuring you, we have not always been like this.
No, as you also know, Ghana has not always been like this.
As a people, we have survived many unspeakable atrocities.
Read and know your true history.
We just celebrated the Year of Return.
Read that history, very, very carefully.
It has not been a nice cup of sobolo.
This is a bad phase; it will only pass with our collective determination, plain honest, hard work and willingness to put in practice those values of integrity, meritocracy and inclusiveness.
Let’s re-ignite the Ghanaian spirit of caring, sharing, of kind hospitality and sincerity.
We know we can, all minds linked; God our helper.
I wish to assure our Muslim brothers and sisters that as our Leader, John Dramani Mahama has consistently done in the past, going forward, there will be none of the unwarranted discrimination directed at you, and indeed no Ghanaian will feel alienated due to religion or ethnicity.
This coming Thursday is the great day of Arafa, and as the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him) admonished you to fast, please remember to pray for us, especially for the peace of this country and for Allah’s bountiful blessings.
I wish you all Eid Mubarak in advance.
To all the little girls and boys across our country, always dream big; remain focused.
You can grow to become anything you want to be.
Believe that only you can stop yourselves.
It is not going to be about your parents, rich or poor; not the region you come from and whether it is endowed with resources or not.
Remember that natural endowment is what it is; it did not come from the effort of anyone.
It is nature that placed those resources there.
That is why we call them natural resources.
It is rather about a system that works; a functioning country that respects all its citizens and provides opportunity to all, regardless.
The time is ripe for change.
To my daughters and sisters: We are in this together; you know as I do that it has not been and will not be an easy walk; but, as we all know, it is possible; actually it is probable; we can do it.
I know too well and have also lived some of the unspoken and unspeakable weight of responsibilities and concerns we bear as women – much more so, at these incredibly difficult times.
What we have always shown however is that when we have the opportunity, many choose to bring on our best game.
We earn our seat at the table and we excel.
Our results transform our families, communities and country; and sometimes, go beyond our borders, porous or otherwise.
Our democracy has come a long way.
Yet it remains fragile.
It calls on all of us to exercise our civic duty against any obstacles and machinations.
I urge each of us to show up and participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise, but please observe all the necessary health protocols.
Please look out for each other.
Politely remind people to use their face masks correctly, offer your hand sanitizer to someone in need.
If you see a disabled person or an elderly person or pregnant woman, offer help.
For THAT is the Ghanaian spirit.
I extend a hand to everyone, no matter how disappointed you have become; no matter the depth of your frustration, your anger, your despair.
Let’s chart a path for our country built on the values of integrity, merit, trust, responsible citizenship, caring, putting others first, simple polite language.
Come let us link effort and thoughts, to re-build our institutions; let’s build a truly independent, inclusive nation that is not afraid to respect views that differ from ours; a country confident enough to accept other ways of seeing; of respecting everyone, regardless.
Come, men, women, our youth, our children- together, let us build the Ghana we can have which must belong to us all, and which must pay special, working and workable attention to the vulnerable.
We must bring back the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality that seems locked down if not quarantined.
We must ease restrictions on the Ghana we know that respects, tolerates, liberates.
As a country, Ghana has been poised for far too long.
Ghana must be in full flight towards sustainable development, to a destination of peace, inclusion, self-confidence, plain honesty and where good old hard work matters.
We call on all our country women and men who believe that our country can once again travel the path of hope to come join us.
Forth in the name of our country we will go.
We will not be intimidated Our resolve to serve this country remains strong No shaking We will stay the course We will not be distracted We will remain focused We will raise high the Flag of Ghana The time is now And Insha Allah, we will succeed May God bless you all.
May God bless you JM!
May God bless our determination to serve our country and may God bless our homeland I thank you for your kind attention.
President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo has touted the country’s democratic credentials, urging Ghanaians to appreciate the many blessings God has been bestowed upon the country.
Delivering a charged speech at a Thanksgiving Service organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sunday, he lauded Ghanaians for scoring high marks with their conduct prior, during and after the December 7, 2016, polls.
“We are a blessed a people in Ghana and we must appreciate the goodness of the Lord and work ceaselessly to deserve His Grace,” he urged.
Read the President-elect's speech at the event; REMARKS BY H.E.
NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, AT THE NPP THANKSGIVING SERVICE, AT ACCRA STADIUM ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 18, 2016 What can I say, my dear friends but to thank the Almighty God and rejoice in His everlasting goodness and kindness to us all.
My heart is full as I stand before you today, washed over by the enormity of the wonders He has wrought.
And I am grateful to all the clergy assembled here, who have led us in this stirring service.
Let me thank all of you, the many thousands that have come out here today to join us to give thanks and praise to the Lord and the many, many more around the country.
Indeed, thanks to modern technology, I know there are many others around the globe who are watching and joining us in this most satisfying endeavour.
We must thank the Almighty for our country Ghana.
On December 7, the Ghanaian people proved once again that we can and do rise to the occasion when the need arises.
We came out on that day and conducted ourselves with dignity.
I am grateful to all of you, to the millions who voted for me and the many millions who voted for others on the ballot.
We must thank the good Lord for the many unsung heroes who simply performed the tasks of a patriotic citizen and did not ask to be recompensed.
It is the Ghanaian way.
How can we ignore the poignant convergence of events on the evening of Friday December 9 2016?
When our President His Excellency John Dramani Mahama was calling me to concede defeat in the best tradition of Ghanaian statesmanship, President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia was renouncing the surprising concession of his defeat in elections held a week before.
We are a blessed people in Ghana and we must appreciate the goodness of the Lord and work ceaselessly to deserve His grace.
When we began our campaign, when we set forth on this journey, when we embarked on our electoral mission, we committed ourselves and our mission to The Lord.
We did not say the battle was ours.
What did we say?
The battle is the Lord's.
Did we say we could win the 2016 election by ourselves?
Did we say we were Goliath, clad in intimidating protective armour?
Did we say we had might?
Did we say we had money or gold or silver?
We said THE BATTLE WAS THE LORD'S!
We agreed that we were David: small, meek, modest, and without the loud, exaggerated armour of money....except for a small unthreatening sling.
But we kept our heads up, and squared our shoulders, and set forth with firmness and unwavering conviction.
We did not blink.
Habakkuk 2:3 says: For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come."
And so we knew that THE BATTLE WAS THE LORD'S!
My personal journey to this day has been a long, long one: A journey of over four decades, working shoulder to shoulder with fellow patriots and nationalists for democracy in our beloved Ghana.
Our stamina has been tested.
But we kept going in the full belief that THE BATTLE WAS THE LORD'S!
The going was not easy.
The road has been rough.
The valleys were deep.
And the mountains were steep.
We stumbled many times along the way.
Sometimes we came tantalizingly close to the proverbial walls of the city but, painfully the city gates were closed in our faces.
But we never lost hope.
We learnt from each mistake and we soldiered on, in the belief that in His own time, we will get there, better prepared.
We took inspiration from God's word: Psalm 27:14 says: "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"
And so we took courage and worked in the full knowledge that THE BATTLE WAS THE LORD'S!
Some of our most loyal companions have not made it to this most famous and emphatic victory.
It is sad that Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who so distinguished himself in the office of Vice President of the Republic, could not witness this day; it is heart-breaking that Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, my childhood friend, is not here by my side today to savour the moment; it is difficult to accept that Adams Mahama, the dynamic chairman of our party in the Upper East Region, is not here with us; it is tragic my cousin and political neighbour, J.B Danquah Adu, is not here with us; it is sad that the bubbly Peter Wiafe Peprah is not here; it is painful that young, bright, hardworking and cheerful Kwabena Boadu is not here with us; and that Abubakar Siddique should miss this occasion.
We remember them and many others and acknowledge the role they played to bring us this far.
I am expressing here today my profound gratitude to successive generations of this great Elephant Family who have stood for freedom and justice all through our country’s history, sometimes at great personal cost, and who have resisted all efforts to dismember and divide their ranks.
Their fortitude, their resilience, their sense of purpose are a great credit to our nation.
It is that spirit of sacrifice and service that inspired all the members of the campaign team, led by the tireless, able Peter Mac Manu, the Campaign Manager; Dan Botwe, the Campaign Strategist; Edward Boateng, the Campaign Administrator; and Technology Director, Joe Anokye, who planned and gave us this great victory.
I am forever in their debt, as I am in the debt of those who went on the gruelling campaign with me around the country, particularly, Alan Kyerematen and Otiko Afisa Djaba.
I cannot leave out Diana Asamoah, Cindy Thopmson, Agya Koo, Lucky Mensah, Praye Tintin, Praye Tiatia and all the other great stars who left their comfort zones and came on the rugged terrain of party politics and made such a great contribution to our victory.
Many thanks also to the media, many of whom made a determined effort to take our message to the Ghanaian people.
They are part of this positive history.
It is always invidious to single out individuals on such an occasion, especially when there were so many who helped in diverse ways, but I hope that everyone will understand if I single out the young man whom I know is going to write a brilliant chapter in the economic history of our nation, and whom God has given to me as my Vice, Mahamudu Bawumia, who made an inestimable contribution to the success of our effort.
I look forward eagerly to working with him for the progress of our beloved Ghana.
The contribution of our respective wives deserves a book of its own.
For the time being, let me just merely say thanks Samira, thanks Rebecca.
And I thank the scores and scores of people who gave their widow’s mite to keep our campaign afloat.
And, today, here we are.
The good, discerning and God-fearing people of Ghana have spoken resoundingly.
We are grateful to God for preserving the peace of our nation through this election, despite the apprehensions and fears of many citizens.
We conducted ourselves LARGELY peacefully.
I do recognize that there have been some instances of misconduct and altercations that should not have happened.
Such behaviour is unbecoming of us.
I call on all Ghanaians - everyone - to act with kindness, generosity and magnanimity towards one another, and to forgive anyone who may have wronged or hurt you.
Remember: THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S Now, even as we praise God for his immense kindness and Grace towards our country, we also know that we have a lot of work ahead of us.
It is a task that we can and will perform with your support, with your hard work; with your unceasing prayers AND WITH THE FULL BLESSING OF GOD.
Isaiah 40:31 says: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Let us, then, renew our strength and our faith, and get ourselves ready for the work ahead.
I have no doubts at all that with God on our side, we shall succeed.
The good Lord has promised that in His own time, He will make all things beautiful.
This is His appointed time.
And that is why THE BATTLE IS STILL THE LORD'S!!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND OUR COUNTRY GHANA.
Once again, I welcome you with gratitude to the Headquarters of the National Democratic Congress for the 8th edition of our Weekly Press Briefing.
We have invited you here today to address the widespread violent attacks and brutalities being meted out to NDC agents, officials, supporters and innocent Ghanaians, including media personnel in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
This issue has become topical and needs to be addressed because our nation is on a downward spiral, fast descending to the edge of the precipice, and the earlier men and women of conscience spoke, the better for our peace.
What are the crimes of these innocent civilians who are being beaten, attacked, maimed and killed?