Akufo-Addo Gets Award For Ghana

Accra, Sept. 20, GNA - The African-American Institute (AAI) on Tuesday awarded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with the Organization's 2017 National Achievement Award at the Institute's 33rd Annual Awards Gala, in New York.

The 2017 Award is in recognition of Ghana's promotion of democracy, accountability and peaceful transitions of power.

Accepting the Award, President Akufo-Addo said the honour, which recognised Ghana's status as a free, democratic and stable country in Africa, was as a result of the contributions of successive generations of Ghanaian patriots who played invaluable roles in establishing the free, sovereign and democratic Ghana.

He noted that over the course of Ghana's long, tortuous history, it had emerged that 'the spirit of the Ghanaian, in his or her quest for peace, progress and prosperity, cannot be quenched.'

'We are a determined lot that cannot be deterred,' he declared. 'It took us a while but the consensus of multi party constitutional democratic rule has been established in Ghana.

'The most recent, being December 2016, we had a peaceful transfer of power from a governing party to an opposition.'

The President said it was worth noting that 'today, after quite some time, we are recognised as a beacon of democracy and stability on the African continent.

'We are a country governed by the principles of democratic accountability, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the rule of law, an aspiring modern nation.'

He said Ghana had chosen the path that would further deepen her democracy, by decentralising and devolving more power with corresponding resources to the base of her political system and to her people.

'It is time to make sure that we have a genuine separation of powers between the various arms of government,' he stated. 'Our Parliament, the Legislative Arm of Government, must grow into its proper role as an effective machinery for accountability and oversight of the Executive.

'Our Judiciary must inspire confidence in the citizens, so we can all see the courts as the ultimate, impartial arbiters when disputes arise, as they would.'

President Akufo-Addo paid tribute to successive generations of Ghanaians patriots, including his predecessors, for the roles they played in the political freedom, cultural integrity and identity of Ghana, all leading to the receipt of the Award.

The US-based AAI, founded in 1957, focuses on creating opportunities for empowerment, education and employment for African nations.

The President is in the United States to participate in the deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly.