President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that dissenting voices are tolerated in Ghana as part of its democratic growth.
The president said Ghana is performing well relative to free speech and vigorous media.
Addressing a gathering in the Eastern Region on Wednesday to mark the Independence Day celebration, he said that it is important to note that the democratic system of government in Ghana today was not given at independence.
“More than a hundred years (100) of British rule had not prepared us in any way for democracy, there is nothing democratic about colonial rule, and, whatever we have today, we have worked out for ourselves.
“All the defining elements of a democracy, that are part of our governance architecture today, we have had to fabricate ourselves. Everything we know about elections today, and we know quite a bit, we have learnt through hard practice, and, in the past thirty-one (31) years, we have been stable.
“We have not got a perfect system, but, every time we have had elections during this 4th Republic, it has been an improvement on the previous occasion. We still have a lot more to learn especially when it comes to the tolerance of opposing views. But we also know that we dare not relapse, as there are many examples of countries that have disintegrated into chaos as a result of disputed elections. We know that technology is a useful tool that we must embrace to make the electoral process more transparent, but we are very much aware that technology also now makes it possible and easier for the deliberate manipulation and propagation of falsehood to influence public opinion,” he said.
He added that “when it comes to free speech and a vigorous media as indicators of a working democracy, I believe we can say we are doing well. There is no danger of dissenting voices not being heard on any subject, even though we still have more work to do on elevating the quality of public discourse. We take our disputes to the courts for resolution, and the judicial system operates within agreed and acceptable rules.
“When we look around our neighbourhood, we might be tempted to think that our work is done, but we, Ghanaians, have never been known to settle for mediocrity. We aim for the best in every field. We should compare ourselves with the best that there is, and not settle for anything less. For as long as there is poverty and injustice anywhere in Ghana, our
work is not done. On a day like this, we should pay homage, of course, as I have done, to
our forebears and the elders who fought for independence and worked through the years to establish all that we have to be proud of today, but our attitude should always be that there are better days ahead, and work towards that, instead of yearning for some bygone good old days.
“The greatest challenge remains the provision of good quality education to all of Ghana’s children and young people. We have a lot to be proud of, but we have more work to do. I am happy that, through the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, we are removing financial barriers to education, unlocking the potential of thousands of young Ghanaians, and laying the foundation for a brighter future for our country.
“This year, we have seen the highest ever enrolment of first year students into senior high school in our nation’s history, that is five hundred and three thousand (503,000) students, a clear indication of the widespread embrace of the Free Senior High School Policy.
We should be able to offer every Ghanaian child the best education there can be, and, having completed High School, our children should be equipped with skills that make them prepared to face the modern world. Our schools must prepare our children to be comfortable with Science and Technology, and ready to compete in the modern economy.”
Akufo-Addo Reveals Ghana’s Greatest Challenge
