Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo was welcomed by an affectionate kiss from his dear wife, Rebecca, after his brilliant speech at the United Nation’s General Assembly in New York last Thursday.
Nana Addo was flashed on a broad smile when Ghana’s First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, fondly called Auntie Becky, grabbed and kissed him just after the speech.
Several dignitaries from the world over also took turns to congratulate Ghana’s President for his delivery at the Assembly.
The speech touched on a broad range of issues including a call for reforms at the UN in order to create fairness and equity for all member states.
“It has been talked about and scheduled for a long time, but, somehow, we have never found the courage and the will to reform the United Nations. Ghana supports the process of UN Reform, especially of the UN Security Council, as set out in Africa’s Common Position on UN Reform, based on the Ezulwini Consensus. The time is long overdue to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN Security Council represent for the nations of Africa”, Nana Addo noted.
He continued: “we cannot continue to preach democracy and fairness around the world, we cannot insist on peace and justice around the world, when our global organisation is not seen by the majority of its members as having a structure that is just and fair. It is, indeed, seen by many as helping to perpetuate an unfair world order.
“This Organisation provides the best vehicle for the world to manage its many varied problems, and we would undermine its credibility and fail in our duty if we do not reform the United Nations. We dare not let ourselves and future generations down. The time for reform has come.”
The President told the Assembly that his government is working to grow Ghana’s economy and, thereby, open up opportunities for the progress and prosperity of all Ghanaians.
Acknowledging that Ghana is nowhere near where she has to be, his administration is determined to realise fully the country’s potential, and make Ghana a prosperous nation.
It is for this reason, President Akufo-Addo noted, that “we do not want to be a scar on anybody’s conscience. We want to build an economy that is not dependent on charity and hand-outs. Long and bitter experience has taught us no matter how generous the charity, we would remain poor.”
The President continued, “We want to build a Ghana which looks to the use of its own resources and their proper management as the way to engineer social and economic growth in our country. We want to build an economy that looks past commodities to position our country in the global marketplace.”
Whilst not disclaiming aid, the President stressed that “we do want to discard a mind-set of dependency and living on handouts; we want to build a Ghana beyond aid. It is an easier platform on which to build sustainable relationships.”
He told the General Assembly that his government has started the Free Senior High School programme, which aims to guarantee at least secondary education for all Ghana’s children.
The implementation of the Free SHS policy, President Akufo-Addo, added would mean that Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, will be within Ghana’s reach by the target date of 2030.
To this end, President Akufo-Addo noted that “no longer should Ghanaians feel they have to subject themselves to the intolerable and inhumane conditions of crossing the Sahara and drowning in the Mediterranean in the hope of making a living in Europe.”