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| Nana Akufo-Addo - His real life story |
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| Posted on: 2008-Jun-14 Mirror |
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Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer, says he has the leadership qualities necessary to move this extraordinary nation forward to the next level of its development.
He believes that he is the one who can lead Ghana to take the next bold steps towards prosperity and general well-being for every citizen of the land.
According to N ana Akufo-Addo, evidence of his strong, mature and cohesive leadership skills became obvious to many, especially young Ghanaians, when he contested against 16 other party stalwarts for the presidential slot of the NPP last December.
Many pundits and newspapers predicted that the NPP was heading for all acrimonious split. Yet after winning that slot, Nana Akufo-Addo set on an elaborate, calculated, masterly disciplined and principled voyage to unite the party and mobilise the rank and file of the party for this year's general election albeit the shocker by Mr Alan Kyerematen that he had resigned from the party.
But for Mr Kyerematen to rescind his decision shows that Nana Akufo-Addo is a team player and a diplomat.
Philosophy and vision for Ghana
The NPP flag bearer’s philosophy can be said to be encapsulated in his mantra: “I Believe in Ghana.”
What does it mean to believe in Ghana? The Mirror put his question to Nana Akufo-Addo during a chat with him at his Ridge office in Accra.
“To believe in Ghana is to defend, support and be prepared to serve a free Ghana; to believe in Ghana is not to allow your energies to be sapped away by either the failures of the past or the challenges of today; to believe in Ghana is to embrace today’s challenges as opportunities for a better tomorrow; to believe in Ghana is to be proud of Ghana’s rich diverse culture, customs, traditions and history; to believe in Ghana is to be devoted to its welfare and freedom.
“It is to stand up in defence of the state even if, in dissenting, you offend the temporary custodians of the state; it means believing in its economic capacity; it means knowing that such belief is not futile, for clearly, the Ghanaian has the entrepreneurial capacity to create a prosperous society for the great majority.
“To believe in Ghana is to insist that those in authority lead by example; to believe in Ghana is to believe that for thos who lost their lives for the good or this country, their sacrifices were not in vain; that, indeed, Ghana is a country worth dying for.
“To believe in Ghana is to be responsible citizen; to believe in Gha a is to believe in yourself as a Ghanaian, as someone capable of contributing to the building of a successful, modern African state, operating on the principles of democratic accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
To believe in Ghana is to believe in a state where fairness and social justice are essential attributes of its body politic; to belive in Ghana is to make Ghana, by our efforts what it should be: One of the greatest places on earth.”
Nana Akufo-Addo believes there are some qualities which Ghanaians should focus on when they vote for the next President of the Republic. They must choose a person with an impressive record of selfless, active work for the people of Ghana; a person who has proven leadership qualities and finally an ability to arbitrate a vision which will transform the economy and modernize our society.
Nana Akufo-Addo has no passion for mediocrity but outstanding output hence he believes he is the best man for Ghana.
One issue that some faceless persons raised about Nana Akufo-Addo during the run up to the December NPP primary was the allegation that he was into drugs.
This allegation, which the flag bearer describes as baseless and unfounded, was an attempt by his detractors to malign him and injure his hard-won reputation.
He thinks Ghanaians are discerning enough and, therefore, he calls on them to ignore that false propaganda which, to a large extent, is aimed at deflating him.
Family background
Nana Akufo-Addo comes from a background where public service is considered a duty and where privilege and good fortune demand even greater commitment to the common good.
"Generations of my forebears and relations have established this rich tradition of public service, of which I am proud and which has been the source of constant inspiration, he says.
His maternal grandfather was NaNa,Sir Ofori Atta I, the Okyenhene and major political player in the Gold Coast until his death in 1943. Three of the Big Six (Founding Fathers of Ghana) were relations of Nana Akufo-Addo: Dr J. B. Danquah was his grand uncle; Mr William Ofo.ri-Atta was his uncle and Mr Edward Akufo-Addo was his father.
Mr Akufo.-Addo became Ghana's third Chief Justice and later the President of the Second Republic during the Progress Party government of Prime Minister Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia from 1969 to 1972.
Nana Akufo-Addo's mother, the late Yeboakua, Mrs Adeline Akufo-Addo, never ceased to remind her children that she was the one woman who appeared before the historic 1948 Watson Commission which designed the future constitutional development of the then Gold Coast.
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