Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has received the 2018 US -Africa Business Center Outstanding Leaders Award in New York.
The award, presented by the US Chamber of Commerce-US-Africa Business Center (USAfBC), was in recognition of his leadership and commitment to championing trade and investment to improve Ghana’s economy.
President Akufo-Addo said the award represented a summary of his focus as Ghana’s President, since he assumed office some 20 months ago.
“It is good to know that advocating for Ghana to opt for a partnership with the rest of the world on the basis of trade and investment co-operation, not aid, has its rewards”, he noted.
This, the President pointed out, had not only strengthened his country’s democratic credentials but also, “helped to create wealth and provide opportunities for its people.”
Ghana, like most African countries, President Akufo-Addo said, was blessed with abundance of human and natural resources, however, over the years it had over relied on the production and export of these natural resources in their raw state.
“We have also not taken deliberate steps to create an educated workforce to spur on the development of our country. Unsurprisingly, we have not been able to bring sufficient progress and prosperity to the mass of Ghanaians.
“This sorry state of affairs, the President noted, is a result of Africa’s over reliance on aid, charity and handouts, which had made it vulnerable to the politics of foreign powers.”
President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that his government had taken the path to engage the world on the basis of trade and investment which would bring wealth and prosperity to the Ghanaian people and discourage her youth from leaving the country in search of non-existent opportunities abroad.
“We want thus, to emulate the paths to prosperity taken by countries that have become today’s success stories, especially those of Asia,” the President added.
