President Nana Akufo-Addo
Far from what his political opponents and critics think and say of him, President Akufo-Addo is proud of how far he has managed the affairs of the country for the almost eight years he assumed the reins of governance.
Whilst he admits that there have been some high and low points, generally, he thinks he has not done bad.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to have served as President not once, but twice. And I’ve done my best, especially in steering the ship of state through the deeply troubled times of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath,” was how he put it when he spoke at a luncheon held in honour of senior citizens as part of events to mark Founders’ Day celebration at the presidency (Jubilee House) yesterday.
“I believe most of us can see that we are now turning the corner and returning our economy back to normalcy and reviving growth, the growth that made our economy one of the fastest growing economies in the world in the years prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he emphasised.
He, therefore, assured of his commitment to do whatever it takes to bring the economy back to normalcy and set it on the path of growth as witnessed in his first term of office before the COVID-19 pandemic struck and de-stabilised the economy.
The President, however, expressed profound gratitude to Ghanaians for offering him the opportunity to serve as a two-term President of the country.
According to him, it was an honour done him by Ghanaians and he would forever be grateful for the gesture.
Touching on the 2024 general election, he gave his word that everything possible would be done to ensure that there is peace before, during and after the polls.
“The last major challenge for me is to preside over peaceful and fair elections in December, and that is a commitment that with the help of all Ghanaians, I intend to realise,” he said.
That, he said, was because the people of Ghana deserved no less than to be given the best atmosphere in which to choose freely their next president and parliamentarians.
“I intend to ensure that our reputation as the beacon of democracy and stability in Africa and the world is maintained,” he noted.
On the issue of the decision to change the celebration of Founder’s Day to Founders’ Day to collectively pay homage to not just one individual, but all those whose effort led to the attainment independence, he said it was wrong for any group of persons to assume that nothing was done prior to the arrival of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his Convention People’s Party (CPP).
“I know that there are some who question my commitment to this ceremony; that is August 4 as Founders’ Day, because they believe that we were all asleep in Ghana until the arrival of Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP.
“I have already stated my views on that several times, including in my speech last Saturday evening. I don’t intend to go over that matter again,” he stressed.
He was of the view that the consensus achieved in parliament in 2019 with honouring Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with a memorial day should be upheld by all.
“Suffice it to say that I believe that the consensus that parliament arrived at in 2019, honouring Kwame Nkrumah with a memorial day and preserving the historical importance and significance of August 4 in our history is a good consensus, and it deserves to last,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo took the opportunity to appeal to Ghanaians to lend a hand of support to whoever gets elected as his successor, saying, “I hope that the same support will be provided to my successor. It is no secret who I hope that will be. And I hope the people of Ghana will agree with me.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent