President Akufo-Addo with a family member of one of the awardees
President Akufo-Addo, yesterday, honoured the first 10 Foreign Service Officers in the history of the nation to have represented Ghana’s interest abroad.
The 10 officers, eight of whom are dead included Harry Reginald Amonoo, Frederick Sigfried Arkhurst, Kwaku Baprui Asante, Frank Edmund Boateng, Kenneth Kweku Sinaman Dadzie, Abraham Benjamin Baah Kofi, Alexander Quaison-Sackey, Henry Van Hien Sekyi, Richard Maximilian Akwei, and Ebenezer Moses Debrah.
At the time, he indicated, “these 10 young men had the onerous responsibility of advancing and promoting the image of a country which had just gained independence, and was leading the struggle for liberation of Africa from colonialism and imperialism.
“They were the most visible symbol of our country. Prior to their selection, they were subjected to the most rigorous of selection procedures, which ensured that their appointments were based wholly on individual merit, and not on ethnic, religious or political affiliations,” the President said.
He posited that the group, which later came to be known as the G-10, served Ghana with distinction and dedication, and left so many identifiable diplomatic achievements and landmarks that had enhanced the image of the country.
He, consequently, charged the present generation of Foreign Service officers to emulate the G-10, and draw inspiration from their legacies with the determination to match, if not excel, their enviable records.
The President stressed that “the G-10, as individuals or as a collective body, represent, arguably, the best collection of diplomatic talents that Ghana has ever assembled and possessed.
“It is also a view held by many that, because of their achievements, Ghana has become well-known and well-respected all over the world. Successive Ghanaian diplomats, as a result, have been inspired to enhance further our country’s position amongst the comity of nations,” he emphasised.
President Akufo-Addo took the opportunity to commend the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, through its proposed Foreign Service Institute, for incorporating into its proposed training curricula, the study of the achievements of the “G-10”, with the view of producing other distinguished Ghanaian diplomats.
He also expressed the gratitude of the Ghanaian people to the families of the 10 officers, especially their spouses and children, who supported them throughout the tenure of their assignments, both from close quarters and from afar, as they criss-crossed the world in the service of the country.
“Ghana is proud to have received from your loved ones the quality of dedicated service, which has enabled us to become the heirs of a country that enjoys international respect and an enviable diplomatic recognition. I think it fitting that they should be so honoured, as they have been today, even if, in the majority of cases, posthumously,” he stated.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent