Former President, J.A. Kufuor has lauded former captain of the Black Stars, Stephen Appiah for his contributions towards the promotion of peace in the country.

The former President conferred the honour on Appiah yesterday by presenting him with a citation when he paid him a courtesy call at his residence in Accra to brief him about preparations for the Vodafone Unity Match (VUM) slated for June 8 and June 11 in Kumasi and Accra respectively.

“Peace is imperative for the progress and development of any society. For a developing country such as Ghana the lack of peace will lead to civil strife, further worsen our economy and throw our economy into abeyance,” the citation read.

“At no other time is peace more needed than during elections when tensions are heightened, and the least spark degenerates into chaos.

“It is in this vein that I see this initiative by former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah aimed at sustaining peace in our country before, during and after the elections as a worthy one that must be supported by all including government, the political parties and the Electoral Commission.

“Stephen has always been a leader, and his latest venture in assembling great world footballers to play for peace is another sign of his leadership qualities. I congratulate and encourage him in his endeavours.”

Appiah expressed gratitude to President Kufuor for the honour informing him that football icons including former Arsenal defenders, Sol Campbell, William Gallas, Manchester United stalwarts, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole will begin arriving in the country on Tuesday ahead of the games.

Appiah earlier made a similar trip to the Ministry of Youth and Sports were he had discussions with the Minister, Hon Nii Lantey Vanderpuye about the VUM.

Hon Vanderpuye pledged the support of the MOYS for the VUM praising Appiah for his years of dedication to the nation during his playing career with the Black Stars and in retirement.