Democracy needs continuous nurturing - President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo says democracy is not a static achievement but a process that needs continuous nurturing.

He says the feat Ghana has achieved through the 30 years of democratic practice must never be taken for granted in other to protect the country’s peaceful democratic rule.

To him, a small percentage of Ghana’s population can recall the collection of struggles the country had to go through to attain this feat of democracy.

“Mr. Speaker, it is important that we stress this point because, after thirty years of democratic practice, we may be tempted to take it for granted. We need to remind ourselves that our compatriots, the majority of whom are in their early adulthood, have no personal recollection of the struggles that got us to this point in our development.”

“In the same way that only a small percentage of our population can recall life under colonial rule, similarly the memory of dictatorship, one-party rule, and military rule is receding into the dim past, and the struggles that have brought us so far are disappearing into the recesses of history.”

As such he is said democracy must be a dynamic process that requires constant attention.

“Parliament stands as a symbol of our democracy and its values. It stands as a reminder to all of us that our country has chosen to travel on the path of democracy, and at the heart of that journey is the idea that the government can only govern with the consent of the people” he continued.

President Akufo-Addo was speaking on Wednesday in parliament when he delivered the 2023 State of the Nation Address.

He also emphasized that transparency and accountability are needed in maintaining a healthy democracy.

He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to remind themselves that in Ghana’s political history, it is the restoration of parliament to its proper place that has always symbolized the restoration of power to the people.