Justice D.F. Annan's biography launched

By Cari Dighton
In what was described as the celebration of a distinguished citizen of Ghana, the biography of the late Justice D.F. Annan, a former Speaker of Parliament has been launched in Accra.

The book, titled 'Justice D.F. Annan: In the Service of Democracy', encompasses the life story of Justice Annan as a statesman and nation-builder, who dedicated his adult life to public service.

'He lived his life guided by the philosophy that a life must be spent in the service of one's nation,'

Mr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance, said

the book is co-authored by Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, a senior lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and Mr. Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff for the Office of the President from 1993 to 2001.

Nana Dadzie told the audience on Monday that he hopes the newly launched book will serve as guidance for Ghana and its people. 'Ghana finds itself making the same kinds of mistakes as we did 30 years ago, because there is no literature to read and learn from,' Dadzie said.

The book, which contains 10 chapters and 176 pages, was launched for an audience comprising politicians, Members of Parliament, former and current Ministers of State, the Council of State and various other Public Servants. Justice Annan's widow, sister and niece were also in attendance.

The biography marks the first book to be published under the Institute for Democratic Governance's (IDEG) Nation Building and Democracy Programme.

Joyce Bamford-Addo, speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, described the late justice Annan as 'one of the greats of Ghana's public service and a legal luminary,' and stated that by writing and launching this book, the authors have paid their debts to 'mother Ghana.'

Prof. Kwame Ninsin, Scholar-in-Residence at the IDEG, acted as the Director of the Biography Project and expressed his gratitude toward the book's publishers, Sub-Saharan Publishers, for encouraging him not to let the manuscript lie on the shelf. Even after facing monetary hurdles,  the book was still published.

In addition to the launching, a fund raising drive was also initiated on Monday. The drive will support the establishment of a Fellowship to enable senior citizens with exemplary public service records to have access to assistance in writing their own public service memoires.