Ghana has bright future prospects but there is the need to mobilise all resources and energies both within and outside the country to achieve that, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.
According to him, resources such as the forest must be protected to provide the country the much-needed development.
Speaking during the Independence Day ceremony at the Independence Square, Mr Akufo-Addo said: “We have a bright future and we must mobilise all our resources and all our strengths, here and in the Ghanaian Diaspora, to get to that Promised Land faster. It is turning out to be a constant refrain, but, on a day like this, we cannot ignore the state of our environment. We are endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land that our forebears bequeathed to us. The dense forests, that were home to varied trees, plants and fauna, have largely disappeared.
“Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as a tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing, and those that still exist are all polluted. It bears repeating that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for generations yet unborn. We have a right to exploit the bounties of the earth and extract the minerals and even redirect the path of the rivers, but we do not have the right to denude the land of the plants and fauna nor poison the rivers and lakes. There is nothing we can do better to pay homage to those who fought to free us from bondage than to dedicate this 60th independence anniversary to protecting our environment and regenerating the lands and water bodies. I have confidence that we can and will achieve the dreams of our forebears.
“I am hopeful that we will continue to make ourselves worthy inheritors of this land. I know that we will wear the accolade of being a Ghanaian with pride. Let us mobilise for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realise their potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful. Then, we will have a Ghana beyond aid. Two months ago at my inauguration on these grounds, I urged that we renew the sacred compact that comes with being able to call yourself a citizen. I am proud that I am able to say without equivocation, I am a Ghanaian citizen. I wish you all a happy Diamond Jubilee anniversary and God’s blessings. May the Almighty bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong.”
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