President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged Ghanaians to take the destiny of the country into their own hands by “defining and crafting our destiny”.
He challenged Ghanaians not to allow someone else to define what Ghana should be.
“The only nation we are destined to become is the one we choose and decide to be. We do not have to accept someone’s definition of Africa or of Ghana”.
He was speaking at the 61st Independence Day parade in Accra Tuesday, M arch 6, 2018.
The President said even though Ghana may have had some under achievements as part of its history, “it should no longer be part of our destiny”.
The President believes that in achieving the desired destiny there must be some conscious efforts in all aspects.
“But achieving our destiny requires a deliberate, qualitative change in all aspects of our lives; especially, in the structure of our economy, the state of our infrastructure, the education of our young people and acquisition of skills and above all, in our attitudes and the holding firm to the values that define us”.
According to him, on assuming office, he has already taken the lead to change the fortunes of the country by advocating a continent beyond aid and a Ghana beyond aid.
“The change in our fortunes will only happen when our economies improve. Since I became President, I have been advocating for a Ghana, indeed, an Africa Beyond Aid, and I am keen to have the support of all of us in this enterprise”, he said.
He noted that the economic fortunes of Ghana do not rest on aid, since aid for the past 60 years has not been able to transform the country into a developed country status. To this end, he said, “Nobody needs to spell it out to us that the economic transformation we aspire will not come through Aid”
The president believes the country has a lot of resources that can be harnessed to help Ghana live beyond aid but noted that the state of the nation does not reflect same.
“Poverty continues to be our lot. We have huge infrastructural deficits. Mismanagement, corruption and high fiscal deficits have become the hallmarks of our economy, which we finance through borrowing and foreign aid”, he stated.
He acknowledged that attaining a Ghana beyond aid is not going to come just by word of mouth but by “doing something about it”.
He said things have got to be done in a different light: “As a start, we have to do things differently. Business as usual will not do it. It cannot happen by waving a magic wand. And it cannot be achieved overnight”.
He however expressed optimism in attaining a Ghana beyond aid just as other less resourced countries have done.
“Ghana beyond Aid is not a pie in the sky notion, other countries; including some of our peers at independence have done exactly that. It is doable and we must believe that what others, with less resources, have done, we can do”.
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