What do you call a visit by a Presidential Candidate from Ghana to five cities in Canada and USA where over 3,500 people turn out to meet and hear him? – Great!
What do you call a visit that is short of complaints and full of frank exchanges all aimed at improving our country for the benefit of all? – Super!
What do you call a visit where the Candidate gets the opportunity to bond with the Party’s members in Canada and USA, his campaign team and others who contested with him in a show of party unity? – Successful!
There you have it – Nana Akufo-Addo’s visit to Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Chicago and Los Angeles from May 29, 2008 to June 9, 2008 was greatly successful. Most of you have seen the pictures of the exuberant crowds that welcomed the 2008 NPP Flag Bearer wherever he went. From the standing room only overflow crowd in New York to the picturesque setting in Malibu, California, the pictures are still available on Ghanaweb and other Media houses World wide.
Nana Akufo-Addo started his North American trip on the night of Thursday, May 29, 2008 in Toronto. He was mobbed by the Ghanaians who came out to welcome him on a weekday at a Town Hall Meeting at the Ghanaian Presbyterian Church. The host Pastor, Rev. Enoch Adjei Pobee opened the meeting with a prayer.
After the prayer, the atmosphere in the sanctuary charged as if the Holy Spirit had descended judging from the broad smiles on their faces and the fervor of the crowd. Nana Akufo-Addo expressed divine gratitude for shepherding him and his entourage. He stated that he came “to introduce myself to the other sizable number of Ghanaians who live abroad.”
At a breakfast and luncheon meetings the following day with Ghanaian and Canadian business people, Nana Akufo-Addo intimated that his administration will work to move Ghana from the third world to the group of industrialized nations. At a sold-out Dinner/Dance that Friday evening with a crowd equaling the first night, a song composed by Lucy Crentsil, and played for the first time, moved the NPP Flag Bearer to dance to the crowd’s wild applause.
The song is now a hit and has been adopted for the campaign. Nana Akufo-Addo was full of praise for NPP –CANADA (notably Toronto – MacDonald Agbenyoh, Chairman; and Montreal-Nana Francis Duah, Chairman- for a job well-done.)
The enthusiasm was communicated to NPP supporters in New York who in their typical Yankee fashion, were determined to do one better by packing the huge -Ballroom room at the Pennsylvania Hotel with barely a room to stand. The charged atmosphere of seeing and hearing their Flag Bearer made people forget that they had been standing for four hours.
The next day at the Living Faith International Ministry in Mount Vernon, NY, Nana Akufo-Addo was blessed by Bishop Dominic Allotey, whose sermon was on moving forward and not paying heed to those who use the past to deter you from God’s blessings.
Not to be outdone, the Washington DC Chapter of NPP-USA made sure that even though they hosted the NPP Presidential Candidate for two week days- Tuesday and Wednesday, Ghanaians came out in their numbers to all events and the quality of questions and answers in an unrestricted Town Hall Meeting were simply beyond anyone’s imagination.
In Washington, Nana Akufo-Addo was privileged to be hosted by the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) where he made the case that development is preceded by democracy and it is by no accident that Ghana’s GDP has quadrupled under the NPP Administration since it is openly committed to the institutionalization of human rights and democracy. Nana Ohene Ntow (NPP General Secretary) and Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku had to return to Ghana from Washington DC.
Just when you thought Nana Akufo Addo, Mr. Alan Kyerematen, Hon.Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Dr Arthur Kennedy and Mr. Nich Adi-Dako and the rest of the team would be out of breadth, there they were on June 5 and 6 going through a full schedule of activities in Chicago that were capped by a joyous Community Dance in Bolingbrook..
The rented bus that Nana Akufo-Addo shared with his traveling team and members from the Chicago Chapter was classy and underscored the common sentiments of the Flag Bearer. Nana Akufo-Addo made sure to pay his respects to the Chicago Chapter’s Treasurer, Mr. Francis Oduro who had lost his 22-year old son, Francis Oduro Jr. a student at Harry Truman College in Chicago, to a stray bullet. Please remember Francis in your prayers.
Hollywood here we come and all the way to Los Angeles Nana Akufo-Addo took his team to a predictable enthusiastic welcome by the members of the NPP-USA Chapter. In As in New York, Nana attended a church service on the Sunday and sat through the entire sermon. At the Pentecost Church, Reverend Peter Willie, a Liberian, expressed a moving gratitude to Ghana and Nana Akufo-Addo the then Foreign Minister, for helping immensely to bring peace to Liberia and providing a place of refuge to Liberians in their time of need. What else could Pastor Willie offer in return but to pray for Ghana and Nana Akufo-Addo? To this the NPP Presidential Candidate responded that he competed with sixteen others for the honor of being their party’s Flag Bearer and God shone his light on his humble self.
After listening to all questions and gleaning the issues of Ghanaians Living Abroad (GLAs), Nana Akufo-Addo promised that his government would create an Office of Diaspora Affairs in the President’s Office to make sure that the concerns of the Ghana Diaspora are addressed and a constructive engagement is established. Hon. Osafo-Maafo added that the complaints of overcharging duties at the ports could be solved through a united action by GLAs by ensuring that uniform rates are published and adhered to. Alan Kyerematen re-emphasized party unity and the readiness of Nana Akufo-Addo’s regime to listen and reform. Drs. Arthur Kennedy and Kofi Konadu Apraku highlighted the contributions of GLAs who return home and emphasized the need to actively engage the government for mutual benefit.
In addition, Nana Akufo-Addo talked about justice for all; fighting the menace of drugs; improving the security of the country; ensuring that oil revenues go to develop the entire country; employing the best talent; accelerating infrastructural development; making Ghana the hub of West African commerce; securing the country’s energy needs; and shifting Ghana’s economy from raw materials to an industrial base to move the country away from a third world status.
The NPP-USA- National Office was well represented in the persons of the Chairman, Mr. Kofi A. Boateng, the Vice Chairman, Nana Agyei Yeboah and the National Organizer, Mr. Kofi Bawuah who ensured that at least two of them were everywhere. They expressed sincere thanks to all who made the visit successful in all ways, big and small, and are too many to name.
As they prepared to depart for Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo and his team enjoyed a rare moment of respite in the hills of Malibu. Drenched in the golden rays of the California sunset the heavens themselves seemed to say: “You are the one- Go forth in peace to do that which must be done to move Ghana forward”.
Since returning to Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo has sent a sincere message of gratitude to all who made his visit very successful. The message is posted on NPP-USA website.
