Speech Delivered By His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, President Of The Republic Of Ghana At The National Honours Day At The Accra International Conference Centre, Accra Thursday, July 3, 2008.
Vice President Aliu Mahama,
Mr. Speaker,
Your Ladyship the Chief Justice,
The Chairman of the Council of State,
Hon. Ministers,
Hon. Member of Parliament,
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic of the Diplomatic Corps,
Esteemed Traditional Rulers,
Distinguished Award winners,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I thank you for traveling from all parts of the country and abroad to honour graciously the invitation to this year’s Honours Award Ceremony.
These awards were instituted by the nation’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, when Ghana attained Republic status on 1st July, 1960. Over the years, subsequent leaders have implemented the honours very sparingly. Somehow, perhaps due to the nation’s chequered history, and the tension from within the society, some former leaders stayed away all together from administering the Honours. This has created a huge backlog of hardworking Ghanaians whose distinguished services should have bee acknowledged by the State. Over the past 3 years, I have deemed it imperative to try to correct this anomaly around the annual celebration of the Republic Day.
Ladies and gentlemen, before I proceed further, I wish to observe that the law establishing the award of national honours did not provide specifically for an Order for the Head of State, which is the highest office of the land. Today, I wish to announce that, by the powers vested in me by the Constitution, I have instituted a new Order solely for Presidents of the Republic. It will be known as the Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana as symbolized in the nation’s Coat of Arms, to compliment the state sword which is currently the main symbol of office.
The Order of Star and Eagles is the highest order of nation. Henceforth, every new President will be given the collar of the Order as he or she is sworn into office, to be worn on all formal national occasions. On successful completion of a term of office, a President will be presented with a replica of the collar, if he or she so desires. This is the rationale governing my decision to institute the Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana as the top of all the State awards created since 1960. This will be conferred on the President by the Chief Justice.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ghana has made outstanding progress during the past decade and a half of the 4th Republic. The last 7 years in particular have witnessed dramatic transformation of the economy and our society from stagnation to steady growth. This is evident in the improving standard of living across board. The nation is enjoying positive ratings internationally, which led to the over-subscription of Ghana’s Eurobond to the tune of over USD3 billion on the London Stock Exchange last year. There is vigorous infrastructural development, housing start-ups all over the country, and enhanced delivery of social services, especially education and health. Agriculture is doing well to the extent that in the face of global food crisis, there is reasonable amount of food in the country. Institutions of governance are demonstrating increasing evidence of steady maturation. Together, these successes have put Ghana on the mark for accelerated growth
into the status of a middle income economy.
Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to lose focus at this crucial time; under no circumstances should we permit ourselves to be distracted from our mission. Rather, Ghanaians must reach out to one another within the society and bring every hand on deck for national development irrespective of tribe, religion, gender, social status or political affiliation. This is the spirit on which nominations for this year’s awards have been made to reflect government policy, the different areas of the national economy and the urgent need for reconciliation. We have sought to honour a cross section of the society who in the course of their work have come to notice to have made exceptional contributions to t he development of the nation. Today’s function is to urge them on to greater service of the nation and encourage others to follow their example.
Ladies and gentlemen, the theme for this function is “Branding Ghana for a Prosperous Future”. This entails a deliberate effort to improve all areas of weaknesses and maximize benefits to be derived from hard work, humility, warmth and resilience of the people. It includes building and strengthening the various institutions of governance to make them strong pillars of our democracy, to promote peace and reconciliation, as well as the welfare of the citizens. The National Reconciliation Commission was established in 2002 with the sincere belief that it would be the starting point of national healing and a sense of well-being across ethnic, religious and political divides. Unfortunately, the good faith of this necessary gesture continues to be spurned with contempt by some particular group. The government’s commitment and sincerity will not be shaken.
Ghanaians deserve to be happy and to be governed by enlightened laws, deriving from the national constitution. Government will continue to uphold laws that apply to all without fear or favour. It is in an environment of peace, security and a sense of goodwill towards one another that Ghanaians can develop to their fullest potential.
I urge you, the proud recipients of the 2008 awards, and all of you gathered here and indeed the whole nation, to be champions of peace and reconciliation in order to sustain the steady momentum of our national development towards the prosperous future that beckons us on.
This is a legacy that I would like to leave behind and I will continue to work towards that end till my last day in office and into the future.
Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps I should explain some of the awards further. The high office of the Vice President is very demanding and occupants are in a sense the alter ego of the President. They therefore should be entitled to the hitherto highest award of the land, the Order of the Star of Ghana, Companion Division. In this year’s awards, three eminent traditional rulers in the persons of Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, Nayiri Naa Bohugu Mahami Sirigu, Paramount Chief of Mamprugu and Yegbon Wura Bawa Doshie, Paramount Chief of Gonja Traditional Area are also receiving the same award for the efforts they have been making over the past five years to achieve peace and reconciliation in the Dagbon Traditional Area. The other recipient of award in this category is Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, the immediate past Minister of Foreign Affairs, a leading politician and advocate for human rights and the rule of law. Having won the keen contest to
be the governing party’s candidate to vie for the national presidency, he may also be described as an heir apparent.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ministers assist the President in administering the nation. This morning some sitting and former Ministers, particularly, those who have served the nation diligently in Parliament for three consecutive terms are being decorated with the Order of the Volta – Companion Division. Ministers who are not Parliamentarians but who have rendered exceptional services in the discharge of their duties for more than a term are also being recognized in this category.
Ladies and gentlemen, we also need to recognize some friends and distinguished development partners of Ghana like Mr. Pierre jacquemot, the French Ambassador, Ms. Pamela Bridgewater, the outgoing American Ambassador and Mrs. Margaret Mwanakatwe, Managing Director of Barclays Bank, Ghana Limited, under whose watch Barclays has partnered Ghana to establish an International Financial Services Centre – otherwise called Offshore Bank.
I should also mention Baroness Valerie Ann Amos, former leader of the British House of Lords and former Minister in charge of International Development, who is here with us and her colleague the Rt. Honourable Claire Short the former Minister of International Development of Great Britain. At the most critical time when Ghana had to decide to take the HIPC Initiative, they proved extremely helpful to her. Through their effort, Great Britain became the first nation to forgive Ghana’s debt of £50 million in 2001. I am very happy to present all these distinguished special friends of Ghana with the Order of the Volta – Companion Division.
I am sure that all football enthusiasts gathered here would have noticed the very familiar face of Mr. Issa Hayatou who is one of our distinguished award winners.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my singular honour to congratulate all of you the award winners. May these honours spur you on to greater achievements and better service to the nation.
Thank you and may God bless us all.