President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said Ghanaians are a determined lot who cannot be deterred as his government seeks to develop the country’s economy beyond aid.

He said this Friday, March 2, 2018, during a ceremony to present him with the Exemplary Leadership Award, in recognition of his “courageous and transformative leadership”, “commitment to education” and for his implementation of “people-centred policies.”

“May Ghana, under your leadership, be a wonder and an inspiration to the world. May the expectation, as we know it will, of every African man and woman be raised because of your pioneering achievements. May every African child believe that he or she can, because you lifted them up, and paved the way,” the citation read in parts.

President Akufo-Addo received the award at the 15th-anniversary gala dinner night of the Whitaker Group, an award which was presented by the CEO of the Group, Rosa Whitaker.

In accepting the award, the President thanked Rosa Whitaker and the Whitaker Group for the honour, indicating that “what our history has taught us is that the spirit of the Ghanaian, in his or her quest for peace, progress and prosperity, cannot be quenched. We are a determined lot, who cannot be deterred.”

With Ghana being recognised as a beacon of democracy and stability on the African continent, President Akufo-Addo noted that the time has now come for Ghana to move on even further to deepen her democracy.

“We must create wealth and provide happiness to our nation. We can only do this when we have a powerful private sector, with a strong sense of enterprise, innovation and creativity, and an educated and skilled population that is capable of competing in the global marketplace,” the President said.

He continued, “This is why we are insisting on making basic education, i.e. kindergarten through primary school to junior high school to senior high school, free in all our public schools, to guarantee access to quality basic education to all of Ghana’s children, irrespective of the circumstances of their birth. In doing so, we must expand our horizons and embrace science and technology as critical tools for our development.”

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that “we have to build a confident Ghana which is united, at peace with itself and takes pride in its diversity, and which continues to pursue its historic pan-African vocation. It will not be easy. We have no illusions whatsoever about the nature of the task that we face, but I know that Ghanaians will rise to the occasion; they always do.”

He was confident that “the Black Star is going to shine and shine and shine, and we are going to build a Ghana Beyond Aid.”