Akufo-Addo: Let’s guard ethnic and religious unity in Ghana

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on Ghanaians to jealously guard the unity and coexistence of diverse religious faith in Ghana.

Speaking at the 66th Independence anniversary celebration in Adaklu in the Volta Region, Akufo-Addo said unity is crucial to the socio-economic development of the country.

“The greatest achievement of our independence is the fact that we have welded different ethnic entities into one nation,” Akufo-Addo said.

According to him, unity held Ghana’s forebears together and that was how they were able to liberate the country from British colonial rule.

“It did not matter where they came from; it did not matter which tribe they belonged to; it did not matter which religious persuasion they subscribed to; and their standing in society certainly did not matter. They recognised the fact that colonialism did not inure to our nation’s collective benefit, and they were determined to end it. And, indeed, they did,” Akufo-Addo said.

The celebration is on the theme: “Our unity, our strength, our purpose”. The special guest of honour for the occasion was the president of Guinea-Bissau, Úmaro Sissoco Embaló, who is the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States.

Fight against illegal mining
He used the occasion to reiterate his campaign against illegal mining, popularly called galamsey.

“We should continue the difficult but necessary task of ridding our environment of the menace of galamsey; and we should continue to pay our taxes, and demand that our leaders put them to good use,” he said.

“Above all, we should continue to guard and protect jealously the security and integrity of our nation against dangers from outside and within our borders.

“We cannot allow those who seek to divide us along the line of ethnicity or religion to succeed. That we deepen the cohesion that exists among us and let us wear with pride the badge of being called Ghanaians,” Akufo-Addo said.