President Akufo-Addo together with Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Okyehene admiring plaque after unveiling the J.B Danquah Memorial Center at Kyebi.
The dream of President Akufo-Addo became reality yesterday when he commissioned an ultramodern library and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre for the chiefs and people of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area in honour of the memory of his uncle Joseph Boakye Danquah, popularly known as J.B Danquah.
The facility dubbed ‘J.B Danquah Memorial Centre’ cost over GH¢2.2 million and was funded by Hauwei Technologies.
Speaking at the launch of the centre at Kyebi in the Eastern Region, the President disclosed that “it will not be far-fetched for me to say that Danquah’s memory will continue to live, at least, for as long as this nation of Ghana lives.”
“He gave our country its name Ghana after years of research into the history and traditions of the people of the Gold Coast. He fought, first, for the union of the geographical entity we now call Ghana, and then he fought for Ghana to be established as a free, independent state.”
Apart from that, the President indicated that “he fought to defend the liberties of the Ghanaian people by insisting on a democratic system of governance under the rule of law for independent Ghana.”
“In the course of this, this Ghanaian colossus literally gave his life in cruel imprisonment without trial at Nsawam Prison. Even though Danquah never exercised executive authority in the state, his influence on Ghanaian history has been truly astonishing and can be felt in virtually all areas of our national life – constitutional, cultural, economic, educational, intellectual, moral, political and religious.”
He stressed that “several key institutions of our country owe their conception directly to his work – the Cocoa Marketing Board, the University of Ghana, Legon; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi; Bank of Ghana; Ghana Commercial Bank and Accra Sports Stadium, among others.”
“Despite the passionate controversies that engulfed his life, he remained remarkably free of personal animosity and hatred. A memorable occasion arose when, soon after his release from his first period of detention in 1962, he decided, much against the advice of family and friends, to present himself as a founding member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences at the ceremony marking the award by the then Soviet State of the defunct Lenin Peace Prize to President Kwame Nkrumah,” he recounted.
The President indicated that “he found no difficulty in exchanging pleasantries at the event with the man who had, until recently, been his gaoler, because to him the award was an honour for all Ghanaians and not just Nkrumah. He thought his presence was necessary to make that point, and we need to take a cue from him.”
He was of the conviction that the Memorial Centre would provide not only children, but adults with better insight into the work of Dr. Danquah.
Present were Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Works and Housing Minister, Samuel Atta Akyea, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful and Eastern Regional Minister, Kwakye Darfour.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent