I don’t see the relevance of Akufo-Addo statue – Dr. Frederick Oduro

Governance expert Dr. Frederick Oduro has expressed skepticism about the relevance of building a statue of President Akufo-Addo in the Western Region.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo unveiled a statue of himself at the entrance of Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi as part of his one-day “thank you” tour of the Western Region.

According to Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, the statue is a tribute to Akufo-Addo’s contributions to the region, including the rehabilitation of Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, the construction of a three-tier Sinohydro interchange, and the redevelopment of the Takoradi Market Circle. However, these projects remain incomplete, with some even halted.

In an interview on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, Dr. Oduro explained that statues are mostly built as tributes to individuals, particularly presidents, after the end of their term in office. He acknowledged President Akufo-Addo’s significant contributions to Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital but noted that the hospital itself is a colonial relic established during colonial rule.

“I don’t see the relevance of this at this time. Ordinarily, monuments are raised for presidents usually after they’ve left office or a few months or weeks before the end of their tenure. I don’t see the importance of this, and in any event, if you look at the history of the Effia-Nkwanta hospital, it is a colonial relic established in the late 1930s originally as a military hospital for personnel returning from the Second World War.

“Over the years, a lot more was added to it, and it became a referral hospital for the Western Region. I do concede that under President Akufo-Addo quite a lot has been done for that hospital. But I’m asking myself, this is an old hospital, a colonial government-established hospital. Why do we put the statue of the president there? I think this was not very necessary,” he remarked.

He also suggested that a statue honoring President Akufo-Addo would be more fitting for projects initiated and completed by him during his tenure.

“If it is to recognize the President’s contribution, let us pick an infrastructure that is directly linked to his government, and there could be many. Let us also do it in a way that takes away the political coloration out of it,” he added.