ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
The product of the Achimota ideal will be the finest educational product anywhere in Africa.
If you want the best of your children provided for, you cannot do better than seek entrance for them now at Achimota.
If we in Akyem Abuakwaland fail to send our children to this institution we shall have consciously deprived ourselves of some of the highest advantages of enlightened progress...” Since Achimota and Achimotans lay claim to being the undisputed rulers of Ghana and as your school song says, you prepare people to rule, shall we accept responsibility, then, for the state of affairs in our country?
Is it worth our while to ponder where we went wrong?
Should we ask why with leaders, like you, we are where we are?
Why is it that 60 years after our independence, so many of our compatriots are still so poor and the state of our infrastructure is still so abysmal?
Do such questions come up when you are preparing people to go and rule?
Is the Achimota, that we have today, what was envisaged and what the Susan Ofori-Attas attended?
I think these are legitimate questions that we should think about, and, hopefully, find some answers.
Could it be that the school that many of the Akoras of old knew is not the school that we have today?
Young people used to spend a minimum of five years in Achimota and other secondary schools, quite a number of them spent seven years here in Achimota.
There were time and room to mould young lives and influence behaviour of those who passed through the schools.
Achimota was probably the best example of a school that recognized that education went beyond the passing of exams.
Sporting activities played an important part of school life.
Achimota school’s playing fields were famous; many athletes emerged from this school; competitive cricket and hockey teams were part of the Achimota legend; children learned to swim and the basics of gardening.
Arts and craft and music were not limited to only children who wanted to offer them as examination subjects.
There was room for carpentry and pottery, and there was room for theatre.
Accra used to look forward to the annual production of famous operettas by Achimota School.
I remember when the school would stage Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
I wonder when the last time was that anybody here thought of staging the MIKADO?
No one can suggest that the school we have today is anything like that same school of old.
Now that the children only spend two and a half years in the school instead of five or seven years, it is not surprising that the extracurricular activities have largely disappeared and the emphasis is on passing exams.
These are uncomfortable things to talk about, but they are unavoidable ones that should be discussed, and these discussions are best done among friends.
It cannot be right that 60 years after independence, Ghana, our beloved country, (that is a quote!)
should be in its current state.
But I do not want us simply to moan about our present conditions.
I urge you to lend your wholehearted support to this government and the efforts we have just begun to make to build a happy and prosperous nation.
Hard work and a consistent fight against corruption in public life would bring the transformation we look for.
Make your presence felt by setting the example of hard work and incorruptibility.
After all, you are the leaders everywhere and your example should make a difference.
Obviously, the conditions in 1927 were different from the 2017 state of affairs in our country, and we should not expect the Achimota of today to be the same as the one attended by our hosts, the class of 1966/67.
We should build on what we have and constantly improve our institutions, but it is also important that we try to maintain the characteristics that gave places, like Achimota, the winning formula.
Today, we have a student population of over three thousand; this would have been unimaginable when some old students were here.
This situation comes with a different set of difficulties that the teachers and students have to deal with.
One of the admirable features of Achimota school is the strength of the old students association.
I congratulate all of you that you continue to take such an active interest in your school and come to the aid of the school when needed.
I pray that other old student groups take some lessons from you in helping their old schools.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a sad, but the well-known fact now, that Achimota school lands have been the subject of concerted encroachment.
I have heard the president of the 1966/67 year group and I have heard the headmistress.
This is not a new problem and I am sure the majority of Ghanaians are horrified at the thought of this national icon being destroyed.
Achimota school does not belong to only those who have been to school here.
The safety and security of Achimota should not and cannot be the responsibility of only those who go to school here or are old students.
Achimota is a national icon, it belongs to the people of Ghana, and the conversation about what happens to Achimota cannot be limited to a discussion within these walls.
The truth is that many of the problems here are replicated all over the country.
Other schools have lost lands not on the dramatic scale of Achimota, but what little they have lost means they no longer have a playing field, and the consequences are equally grave.
The problem of encroachment of school lands as a whole will receive urgent attention from my government, not only attention but, even more importantly, a satisfactory solution.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is not a secret that the Akufo-Addo administration has a lot of high profile old Achimotans amongst its ranks; they will doubtless make sure the issue receives attention and resolution.
I understand there is a scheme to build a perimeter wall around the boundaries of Achimota.
I am able to say that this government will help the OAA with the project.
Dear Headmistress, I am here with the Minister for Education and he is an inveterate note taker.
I think he must have heard your passionate appeal for the 18-Unit classroom block.
Let us leave that request in the capable hands of the Honourable Minister.
I expect him to act on it promptly, even if, like me, he is not an Akora.
Together with him, I will revert to the issue of autonomy shortly.
To you, the current students of Achimota School, I dare say you have a lot to try to live up to.
You live, though, in more interesting times than your predecessors.
Technology has made life much easier.
You might have come from Axim or Gambaga or Keta, but you can call home every day if you so choose.
Your predecessors had to wait for the postman to bring the letter to get any news from home.
Seize the opportunities that Achimota offers and the many advantages that come from having such a wide range of powerful predecessors in all sectors of our society, and shine.
Ladies and gentlemen, on the subject of Gambaga to Accra, and what that signifies in Achimota, I pray that the school never loses the theme of unity on which it was founded.
A deliberate attempt was made to take in children from all parts of the country, Axim to Keta, and from all backgrounds, rich or poor.
This school became a microcosm of Ghana.
If proof were ever needed that there is strength in unity, Achimota provided it.
The lesson is clear.
A united Ghana will be a successful Ghana.
To the staff of the school, I say thank you for keeping up the spirit of Achimota.
I congratulate our hosts, the Akoras of the 1966/67 year group.
I know it feels like only yesterday when you left this school, but this is your golden jubilee.
Thank you for all the help you have given the school and this country in your individual capacities and as a group.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the potential of our nation is great.
A functioning Ghana can make a unique contribution to the growth of African and World civilisation.
I am deeply persuaded that we have it in us to be, indeed, the beacon of Africa and the light of the world.
Let us all rise to that challenge, and make the Black Star sparkle.
Once again, let me offer you all the warmest congratulations on your 90 th anniversary.
I wish you well, and more successes in the years and decades ahead.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless our homeland Ghana.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has promised to respect the independence of Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu in the discharge of his responsibilities.
Below is the speech delivered by the President at the swearing-in ceremony Let me first welcome you all warmly to the seat of our nation’s presidency.
On the second day of this year, I assented to the enactment of the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017, (Act 959).
Pursuant thereto, the Attorney-General, Ms Gloria Akuffo, in compliance with the provisions of s.13(3) of the Act, wrote to me, on 11 th January 2018, to nominate Mr Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu for appointment as Special Prosecutor.
I readily accepted the Attorney General’s nomination, and, on the same day, announced his nomination to the country, and, subsequently, on 11 th January 2018, I sought the approval of Parliament for the appointment.
After a spirited and revealing vetting of the nominee, Parliament, on 20 th February 2018, notified me, by letter under the hand of the Speaker, the Rt.
Michael Aaron Oquaye, of its decision to approve, by consensus, the nomination of Mr Amidu for appointment as Special Prosecutor.
By the swearing-in of Mr Amidu this afternoon, the process of appointment of the Special Prosecutor, set forth in s.13 of the Act, has been completed.
The enactment of Act 959 and the successful appointment of a Special Prosecutor are historic events in our modern history.
The Ghanaian people have, in overwhelming numbers, denounced the canker of corruption that has, in recent years, engulfed the public life of our nation to the detriment of our progress.
The response of the New Patriotic Party to this strong, popular sentiment, was to pledge, inter alia, in its Manifesto for the 2016 general elections, the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor, an independent, non-partisan body, with the relevant professional capability, to lead the fight against corruption, and hold public officials, past and present, accountable for their stewardship of public finances.
The Ghanaian people expect the Office of the Special Prosecutor to rise to the occasion, and collaborate with other existing law enforcement agencies, to fight relentlessly, and help eliminate corruption in our public life.
We expect the Special Prosecutor to discharge his duties vigorously, with courage, without fear or favour, ill-will or malice, in accordance with the rule of law.
The establishment of this Office is for a high purpose, and must not, under any circumstances, be used as an avenue for persecution or vengeance.
The Office will be required to do justice to all manner of persons.
In his book, “Practice and Procedure In The Trial Courts and Tribunals of Ghana” (2011, Second Edition), the respected, former member of the Supreme Court, Brobbey JSC, reiterated the overriding duty of a Prosecutor in the following words: “Always the principle holds that (the prosecutor) is concerned with justice first, justice second and conviction a very bad third”.
The overwhelming, popular acceptance by the good people of Ghana, and the strong consensus approval by Parliament, of Mr Amidu’s nomination, justify the confidence I repose in him.
Indeed, his eloquence and grasp of issues, displayed to the public during his recent vetting, is a further testimony of the soundness of his appointment.
I want to assure him that not only will the Executive, including the Attorney General, respect scrupulously the independence of his Office, but will also provide him with whatever assistance is required to enable him to discharge his high duties effectively, in the interest of the Ghanaian people.
The recent publication of Ghana’s score in the 2017 Corruption Perception Index, organised by Transparency International, showing a further drop in our standing, a result largely based on “the plethora of corruption allegations/exposés” before the onset of this administration, indicates the enormity of the task ahead.
It is noteworthy that its local chapter, Ghana Integrity Initiative, in commenting on the report, has acknowledged that “digitisation is changing the ways we communicate and how we do business, and as a result reduced the corruption rate in Ghana.”
The Special Prosecutor cannot do it all by himself.
He requires the active co-operation of all the institutions of our state, as well as that of the general public if he is to be successful in the fight against corruption.
I have known Martin Amidu for several years.
Indeed, I was his opposing counsel in many of the landmark constitutional cases in the early years of the 4 th Republic in the 1990s, and can personally testify to the tenacity with which he holds onto his views.
That tenacity has now to be exercised in favour of the Ghanaian people in his new office.
I congratulate him on his deserved appointment and wish him God’s guidance in the effort he will undoubtedly be making to try to instil integrity and accountability in the governance of our country.
The ultimate beneficiaries of his actions, indeed, of the actions of all of us in public office, will be the Ghanaian people.
Thank you, and may God bless us all and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has stressed that his government will not shield anyone found to have broken the laws of the country.
President Akufo-Addo stated that the application of the laws of the land must occur, in the words of the judicial oath, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and, therefore, without recourse to the political, religious or ethnic affiliations of any citizen of the land.
“When you fall foul of the law, you must be dealt with accordingly, and the law enforcement agencies, including the Judiciary, must ensure this is done.
To persons perpetrating acts of lawlessness in the name of being members of the ruling party, let me make it clear to you that you will find no shield in my government from the law,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking at the swearing into office of the new Chief Justice of Republic, Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo, on Monday when he made these known.
I welcome Your Excellencies to your second home, Accra, Ghana’s capital, for the 59 th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
I acknowledge with gratitude the presence of the representatives of the African Union and the United Nations, and Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and, most especially, that of Louise Mushikiwabo, our Rwandan sister, who is the Secretary-General of La Francophonie, and our Special Guest.
I say a hearty akwaaba , our word of welcome, to each of you, and I hope you are enjoying the famed Ghanaian hospitality.
On behalf of the Government and people of Ghana, I thank all ECOWAS Member States and all AU Member States for the support of Ghana’s recent successful candidature for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the years 2022-2023.
Ghana received the highest number of votes on the day, i.e., 185 out of 190 votes.
It would not have been possible without your active support.
I assure you, Excellencies, that Ghana will make sure that Africa’s voice is heard loud and clear in the deliberations of the Security Council, both on matters affecting our Region and the Continent, and on global issues, and we will consult broadly to define Africa’s interests.
Africa’s Common Position on UN Reform, based on the Ezulwini Consensus, is one matter Ghana is determined to urge on the global agenda.
We will work to solicit the backing of countries around the world for this long, overdue reform.
We believe it is time to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN Security Council represents for the nations of Africa.
Excellencies, let me congratulate warmly our brothers and colleagues, H.E.
Mohamed Bazoum and H.E.
Patrice Talon, who have been elected as Presidents of the Republic of Niger and of the Republic of Benin, respectively, since our last Summit.
I offer them my and the Community’s best wishes for their success during their terms of office.
I commend also the Republics of Cote d’Ivoire and Cape Verde for the conduct and outcomes of their latest legislative elections.
Our Region continues to strengthen its democratic credentials through the holding of successful elections.
Excellencies, the Agenda for this meeting has been well defined.
At our Extraordinary Summit, in February 2021, you entrusted me with the task of leading the reflection on the institutional reform of our Organisation.
The purpose of the reform is to improve the performance and operational efficiency of ECOWAS Institutions, in order to ensure the implementation of integration programmes for the economic and social development of the Region.
The reform focuses on the optimal structure of the Commission and other Institutions, on modalities for the allocation of statutory positions, and on streamlining ECOWAS’ operating costs.
These were the subjects of several meetings at the ministerial level, and their conclusions will be presented to us for our adoption or otherwise during our Closed Session.
Furthermore, as part of the consolidation of our solidarity and pursuant to the decision taken at our last Extraordinary Summit, we will consider, for adoption, a rotation mechanism that will enable the various linguistic groups of our Community and each Member State a fair, orderly opportunity to lead and represent the Community in regional, continental and global affairs.
The importance of all these issues is an indication of the richness and depth of our Community.
I remain convinced that the quality of our discussions and the decisions we take together will, as is customary, be commensurate with the ambitions we have for our Region.
I hope we can agree quickly on these matters so that we will have the time to delve into and take decisions on the great issues, which face us, of terrorism, violent extremism, democracy, peace and security, health and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rapid economic recovery of our Region from the effects of the pandemic.
Unfortunately, we are still confronted with serious security challenges with deadly terrorist attacks and kidnappings, not only in the frontline countries, namely Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger, but also in the coastal countries of our Region, such as Cote d'Ivoire.
Recently, the terrorist attack, which resulted in the death of some one hundred and thirty-two (132) civilians, including children, in Burkina Faso, on 5 th June, is the latest such outrage.
I went, in the name of the Community, to Ouagadougou, on Wednesday, 9 th June, to commiserate with President Roch Marc Christian Kabora, and offer our condolences, sympathies and support to the Government and people of Burkina Faso in their dark hour.
Excellencies, these developments should reinforce our collective commitment to pursue and implement, with renewed vigour, the decisions taken at our Extraordinary Summit on Terrorism on 14 th September 2019.
This concerted effort, which must be a major issue and a priority objective for the Community, is the best way for us to address this security challenge.
It is a matter of dignity and sovereignty, which affects all nations in the Region.
None of our countries is insulated from the threats of terrorism.
Whilst thanking the countries that have already contributed to the ECOWAS Regional Security Fund, I appeal to other countries, who are yet to contribute, to do so.
We must also pay urgent attention to the growing threat to maritime security in our Region.
Acts of piracy and maritime destabilisation are on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea, thus affecting trade in our Community, and increasing the cost of imported products.
We must operationalise the maritime centres we have established in the Region, and agree on the way forward to combat these acts of piracy.
We cannot hand over control of the Gulf to pirates.
Excellencies, we will have the opportunity to discuss the political situation in Mali, with a view to assessing the progress made since our last decisions taken at the Emergency Summit held here in, Accra, on 30 th May, when we suspended Mali from our Organisation, pending the restoration of democratic rule.
We will hear a report from the ECOWAS Mediator on the Malian Crisis, His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, who went together to Mali after the investiture of Colonel Goita.
One issue of concern for all of us has to do with the pandemic of COVID-19, which continues to ravage the world and our Region.
The strong measures taken at national and regional levels, since the outbreak of the pandemic, have enabled us to contain and mitigate, with the blessing of the Almighty, its impact in our respective countries, the tragic deaths we have recorded, notwithstanding.
We need, as a Community, to contribute to the global discourse on access and availability of vaccines for all the peoples of the world.
Through the COVAX initiative, all the countries in the Region have taken delivery of some vaccines, supplemented by direct procurement by some Member States.
I thank foreign friends of the Community who have contributed to funding the initiative.
We note, however, that the quantities received are woefully insufficient.
We must, thus, continue to work on the purchase and production of vaccines in our Region.
We have to encourage Members of our Community, Nigeria, Senegal, and my own country, Ghana, which are making the effort to produce their own vaccines.
We cannot afford to be naked the next time.
The recent decision of the G7 to provide more vaccines to developing countries is commendable, just as is its decision on the taxation of multi-national companies.
It is a first step towards addressing the illicit flow of funds, in which these multi-national companies play a major part, and which lead to the huge exodus of resources from our Continent.
There is still more to be done.
Excellencies, beyond these challenges, we must work to achieve strong economic growth, based on the construction of resilient economies.
Let us continue to focus on the implementation of programmes and projects, in all areas of national life, to ensure job creation and the well-being of our peoples.
This requires that we strengthen our regional integration by pursuing the free movement of goods and people, and the development of our economic infrastructure and our human capital bases.
In this regard, the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), on 1 st January 2021, offers us a historic opportunity to enhance our levels of intra-regional trade, and inspire the momentum for rapid economic growth.
We have to rise to the occasion, and change our destiny.
Work on the Community's single currency must also continue.
According to our programme, the new convergence pact and the new roadmap for its implementation will be submitted for adoption during this Summit.
Excellencies, the world continues to value the work of our Organisation, which is held up as a model of regional engagement on the Continent, and we must continue to do whatever is required to strengthen it, and help realise its objectives.
Excellencies, I conclude my address by, again, welcoming you to Accra, and wishing our meeting success.
I, hereby, declare the 59 th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government open.
Je vous remercie de votre aimable attention.
Muito obrigado pela sua atenção!
I am pleased to be part of this event that seeks to highlight the importance of peace in our country as we go to the polls on Monday, 7 th December, and I thank the conveners for the invitation to be here and say a few words this morning.
This is the third time I have participated in this ceremony – the first two as Leader of the Opposition, and the third as President of the Republic.