The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged Christian lawyers, in their work and advocacy, to be at the forefront of championing government’s commitment to build a modern, developed, prosperous and progressive Ghana, and free her from a mindset of dependence, aid, charity and handouts.
President Akufo-Addo noted that with their help, “we will build a new Ghanaian civilization, where there is fair opportunity for all in education and health, where hard work, enterprise and creativity are rewarded, where there is an abundance of decent jobs with good pay, where there is a dignified retirement for the elderly, and where there is a social safety net for the vulnerable and disadvantaged.”
He made this known on Thursday, August 17, 2017, when he delivered the keynote speech at the Advocates Africa convocation on the theme “Awake, awake, O Zion (Africa), put on your strength and beautiful garments.”
President Akufo-Addo indicated that he was elected into office because the Ghanaian people were dissatisfied with their living conditions and the direction in which the economy, and, indeed, the country was headed.
“I pledged to help build a prosperous society, which creates opportunities for all its citizens, a society where there is discipline and fairness, where people go about their lives in a free and responsible manner, a society where there are safety nets for the vulnerable and decent retirement for the elderly, an open society protected by well-resourced and motivated security services, and where the rule of law works,” he said.
To this end, the President stated that his government has set about this task, firstly, by seeking to build a business-friendly economy that will enable the country get to the stage where the opportunities that are available will help it build an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous nation – A Ghana Beyond Aid.
Fundamental to this, he added, will be maintaining a stable macroeconomic environment in the context of a growing economy, and, thereby, attracting private sector investment.
Reiterating his commitment to enhancing accountability in the nation’s public life, President Akufo-Addo bemoaned that corruption has become the bane of Ghana’s progress.
“The Office of Special Prosecutor, which will be enacted in the next Session of Parliament, will work independently of the Executive, and will have the responsibility to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption, free from predictable claims of witch-hunting. Words can no longer defeat the canker of corruption. Concrete actions must,” the President said.
He continued, “Our industrial regeneration, through our policy of 1-District-1-Factory, our agricultural revival, through the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, targeted infrastructural development, especially of our roads and railways, and promoting access to digital technology are going to be the main avenues for job creation.”
In September, President Akufo-Addo noted that his government will redeem its pledge of providing free Senior High School Education in our public schools, stressing that it is an important tool for the development of our country.
“We have begun to clear the arrears of debt that were strangling the National Health Insurance Scheme, Kufuor’s great legacy to our nation, so that we will have, again, a buoyant health delivery system to which even the poorest in our society can have ready access,” he added.
The modern, prosperous society that his government aims to build, he said, however, is hinged on a foundation of good governance and the rule of law, and “that is where you come in, firstly, as Christians, and, secondly, as Christian lawyers. Together, let us also promote a spirit of reconciliation amongst all of us for the sake of our beloved Ghana and Africa, her progress and prosperity.”
