Have Faith In Ghana----President urges citizens

Friday, July 1, 2016

By Edmund Mingle

President John Dramani Mahama has asked Ghanaians to have faith in the country and contribute towards its progress.

He said the development challenges confronting the country, which are not peculiar to Ghana, should not lead people to be pessimistic, saying the future of development prospects remained bright.

Addressing senior citizens at the national luncheon at the Banquet Hall, State House, in honour of senior citizens to mark Ghana’s 56^th Republic Day Anniversary, President Mahama said the nation was on the path to prosperity.

President Mahama exchanging pleasantries with the senior citizens at the luncheon

But that, he said, would materialise only when the citizenry remain united and discharged their duties faithfully and contribute towards the progress of the country.

“We all have responsibilities to the State, and we need to discharge them faithfully,” he stressed.

He congratulated the senior citizens for their contributions in building the foundation of the country, and reminded the younger generation of its responsibility to protect and build on that foundation.

Touching on the efforts by the government to promote socio-economic growth, he said his administration continue to deploy interventions that would propel Ghana into sustainable development, and called for the support of all.

According to him, a recent World Bank affirmed the government’s expectation that the economy would witness significant growth from the next half of the year.

“Let us stand united in our diversity of religion and ethnicity and all other affiliations,” he said, adding that the interest of the nation should reign supreme over all other considerations.

He said the collective history and aspirations of the country “keeps us connected,” and that all citizens should be concerned about the progress of the country.

In seeking solutions to challenges, he urged the youth to seek counsel from the senior citizens who he described as critical assets to the State since they have a wealth of knowledge gains through experience.

Regarding the nation’s Republican status, he gave the assurance that the government would continue to protect the Ghana’s sovereignty, and also promote the country’s image among the comity of nations.

Mr.　Kojo Yankah, a former Minister of State and Founder of the African University College of Communications, reading a statement on behalf of his college senior citizens, urged Ghanaians to embrace the nation’s 40-year development plan since that was a viable way of securing the future for present and future generations.

He asked the nation to draw lessons from the past in which development projects were abandoned, and avoid tendencies that hinder the growth of local industries.

“The future of this country depends on our individual and collective behavior,” he said.

He also called for the creation of a national and regional Senior Citizens Forum where senior citizens would be able to share ideas to on national issues to promote development.

In addition, he called for the establishment of National Heritage Museum to to preserve and showcase the history and achievements of the country.