President John Dramani Mahama has urged Ghanaians to desist from speaking negatively about the country, warning that persistent pessimism could undermine national development and diminish the sacrifices made by the nation’s founding fathers.
Speaking to congregants at the Ringway Gospel Centre of the Assemblies of God Church on Sunday, August 2, President Mahama said Ghana’s development requires more than government policies and interventions, stressing that citizens’ mindset and actions are equally important to the country’s progress.
He expressed concern about what he described as a growing culture of hopelessness, where some Ghanaians have lost confidence in the country’s ability to achieve its full potential.
“Our forebears rose because they believed their nation would become great. In many of our societies, people give up and say Ghana will never change. We can never become great,” he said.
President Mahama also criticised comments suggesting that Ghana would have been better off if colonial rule had continued, describing such views as a failure to appreciate the sacrifices made by the country’s independence leaders.
“The worst one is those who say we should even have left the white people to continue to rule us. It shows a lack of faith. It shows a lack of gratitude for the fight that our forebears fought to give us independence, the sacrifices Kwame Nkrumah and his colleagues made, and the vision they had,” he stated.
The President stressed that nation-building is a shared responsibility and called on Ghanaians to uphold values that promote social development, unity and the common good.
He said the pursuit of a prosperous Ghana must be anchored in hard work, integrity and a collective commitment to fighting corruption.
“We must work hard. We must tell the truth. We must be honest. We must reject corruption. We must look after the most vulnerable in our society. And we must have faith in serving the common good,” he said.
