Renaming UG: Will changing the name benefit the university in any way? - Franklin Cudjoe

The President and Founder of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has questioned the suggestion of the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to rename the University of Ghana after one of the founders of the country, Joseph Boakye Danquah.

Franklin Cudjoe asked if changing the name of the University of Ghana to that of J.B Danquah will give it the needed resources to improve the development of the school.

He also highlighted how the establishment of a Founders’ Day by the government has rather increased looting of state resources instead of focusing on better ways to honor the memory of the country's founders.

The President of IMANI Africa said this in a Facebook post on August 15, 2023, following the hint by President Akufo-Addo that the name of the University of Ghana may one day be changed to that of J.B Danquah.

“Will changing the name of the University of Ghana to J.B Danquah’s lead to critical endowments needed by the University? How has Founders’ Day prevented increased looting of state resources?” Franklin Cudjoe quizzed on his Facebook page.

Background

After President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made a remark suggesting that the University of Ghana could be renamed in the future, the topic of renaming Ghana's most prestigious institution, which is currently known as the University of Ghana, once again sparked a variety of perspectives.

President Akufo-Addo presented the thought-provoking idea during the University of Ghana's 75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service. The service marked the university's 75th anniversary.

The president paid tribute to both the role that J. B. Danquah played and the considerable campaigning that he led on behalf of the institution, saying that renaming it after Danquah would not be out of place.

"It is quite appropriate and not in the least bit implausible to refer to Joseph Boakye Dankwa as the founder of this university.

"Indeed, in many other jurisdictions where there is less heat in their politics and more attachment to the fact that historical record should be preserved, it would not have been out of place to have this university named after him," he said.

The discourse over renaming the university was initiated in 2021 when it was proposed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to honour the memory of the late President Jerry John Rawlings by renaming the University for Development Studies (UDS), as well as a number of other institutions after him.

Many people voiced their disagreements with the move, stating that it was nothing more than a ploy to start the process of renaming the country's most prestigious university after the president's uncle.

View the Facebook post below



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