President Akufo-Addo urges Ghanaians to change

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday rallied Ghanaians to turn over a new leaf and a new page in the history of the nation as his administration strove to build a modern, developed and progressive Ghana.

“I want us to believe in our capacity to build a modern, developed, progressive nation, and free ourselves from the mindset of dependence, aid, charity and handouts.

“We can, together, build a new Ghanaian civilisation, 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 said.

President Akufo-Addo made the call when he addressed organised labour at the 17th National May Day Parade at the Black Star Square in Accra. The Day was marked on the theme: Ghana@60; Mobilising for Ghana’s Future through the Creation of Decent Jobs.”

He noted that the founders chose the Black Star as part of national colours because “they envisaged us as a shining example to the black people of the world of what a free, dedicated, enterprising Ghanaian people can do to build a society the equal of any, anywhere on the face of the planet.”

“Let us be up and doing. Our destiny beckons,” he said.

Touching on the service provided in the country’s hospitality industry, the President indicated that the service “does not match that of our competitors and many of us have sadly come around to accept poor service as the norm.”

He advocated a return to the days of old, where “Ghanaian artisans, for example, used to have an enviable reputation around the region.

“Our carpenters, masons, mechanics, plumbers, tailors were much sought after. They took pride in their work and improved on their own set standards every time they took on a new job.”

President Akufo-Addo wondered how old classroom blocks could withstand storms and heavy rainfall, whilst the roofs of nearby, newly built ones were ripped up regularly.

“How come that we build roads that are expected to last for at least five years and they do not make it through one rainy season before they fail and pot holes appear? The workers on the roads, the contractors and the consultants all conspire to deliver the shoddy work that prevents us from getting to where we ought to be,” he lamented.