Heroes and Heroines Awards of Ghana

The quickest way to cheapen anything is to over-produce it – like tomatoes.

And that’s exactly what the president did last week when his office released a laundry list of some 241 Ghanaians (himself included) whom he intends to present with “National Honours and Awards” on July 3, 2008.

The public reaction to Mr. Kufuor’s seeming gesture of goodwill was swift and, for the most part, unforgiving; he was accused of being selfish and clueless. His supporters hit back with indignant charges of their own.

The president’s case was not helped by the clumsy manner in which his office handled the whole affair. He first nominated former vice president and current flag-bearer of the NDC, Prof. Atta-Mills for the award. But when a newspaper proclaimed that “Kufuor Endorses Atta-Mills” and the president’s men descended upon him for daring to honour “the enemy”, he back-pedalled only to emerge with a new list containing his party’s flag-bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo.

While that may have quelled the insurgency in his party, the inclusion of Nana only raised even more questions about the motivations of the president and the criteria for selecting recipients. Was Nana included on merit or was he what statisticians call a “dummy variable”?

But the larger threat to the integrity of the awards was the sheer number of people involved, many of them of dubious public service profiles. Instead of an honour list, we seemed to have a crony list; rather than celebrate excellence, we seemed poised to institutionalise mediocrity. The message was clear: People of Ghana , you need not distinguish yourself in anything you do. Just show up enough times, know somebody at the Castle, and “one-day, one-day”, you too will appear on TV receiving an award. It’s that simple.

And if you don’t know anybody at the Castle? Not to worry. A token inclusion of the ‘non-connected” will take care of that.

All this is not to say that no one on that list deserves its; certainly some do – particularly those who have made original and enduring contributions to Ghana’s economic, social or political development. Nana Bosompra of Osofo Dadzie fame easily fits that bill. Before there was the Cosby Show, there was Osofo Dadzie, a biting yet humorous comedy that tickled our funny bones and then tackled the social and political issue of the 1970s, including corruption, under a military regime. Nearly four decades on, Nana Bosompra soldiers on. Without doubt, he deserves an award.

There are others who have contributed to Ghana ’s social and economic growth in less conspicuous ways but who nevertheless deserve recognition and awards. And it is for these below-the-radar heroes of Ghana that today I launch the Heroes and Heroines of Ghana Awards (HHGA).

Unlike the president’s inflated list, the HHGA list is brief and exclusive, placing premium on the rare qualities of hard work, originality, and selfless dedication. It focuses on Ghanaians who just don’t toil but excel in their chosen fields of endeavour, people who leave a mark or live exemplary lives that we must all emulate in order to be better human beings and better citizens. Such people are rare.

In the future, the HHGA will be based on nominations from the public, and the recipients (NOT MORE THAN 10) will be chosen by a well-constituted panel of members of the public. For the inaugural ceremony, however, I take the liberty to put forward men and women whose quiet and self-effacing contributions to national development I have admired for some time. I am sure once Ghanaians get to know them, they too will admire them.

The Heroes and Heroines Awards of Ghana

There are 4 award categories:

1. Kwegyir Aggrey Award for the Advancement of Education in Ghana

2. Honesty and Integrity Award

3. Service to Humanity Award

4. The Osagyefo Award for Pan-Africanism

And the awardees are:

Kwegyir Aggrey Award for the Advancement of Education in Ghana

The two heroes are (1) Mr. Joseph Danka, founder of a primary school outside of Bolga, Upper East, and Mr. Humphrey Asempa, founder of the Talents Restoration Academy in Accra .

I met Mr. Danka in 2004 during a poverty-research trip to the small mining town of Gbani, near Bolga. He had gone there in 2003 in search of gold after finishing Bawku Secondary School. However, moved by the plight of school-age children roaming about aimlessly in the community, he abandoned his pursuit of wealth and established the Bonsa International School for the children. For a modest fee from the poor parents, he offers them an education that they otherwise would not receive. He deserves an award. And our admiration.

I’ve never met Mr. Asempa, but I’ve seen his handiwork and spoken with him by phone, and I found his originality of thought and action to be refreshing, inspiring. Operating on the belief that everybody has a talent that they can exploit for their prosperity, if given the chance, he founded the Talents Restoration Academy in 2003 with 2 “illiterate” students. Five years later, he can boast on his website that he has made “2,000 illiterates literate”. From one campus at La Paz, Accra, he now has campuses at Madina, Tema and Nungua Barrier. Mr. Asempa is the embodiment of the saying, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” - and humanity. I salute him!

Honesty and Integrity Award

This award goes to 23-year-old Laryea Harrison of Accra. On November 20, 2006, Mr. Harrison, unemployed and broke, found a wallet containing US$1,200 and some Ghanaian currency. In an incredible act of honesty in a country crippled by greed and a bottomless desire for materialism, Mr. Harrison borrowed money from his friends, called the owner of the wallet and handed him back his property. Sounds simple, but how many of us would have done that? Mr. Harrison is virtue personified, an example for everybody, especially our politicians, who use their vulgar sense of entitlement to raid the national coffers while pressing social needs go unattended. Join me in saluting him.

Service to Humanity Awards

The two recipients are Madam Janet Anyeley Parker, founder of the Teshie Orphanage, and Mr. Mohamed Akpah of Afienya. Both of them have been inspired by their difficult childhood to help others, especially children. As a young fish monger, Madam Parker found life difficult for both herself and her children – but more so her children. Seeing other children suffer moved her to form the Teshie Orphanage in 1995. Through the orphanage, many children who otherwise would not have acquired education have done so. Give it up for her, people!

Mr. Akpah had an even more difficult childhood, having been “sold” by his father to a man whom his father owed some money. After 10 years of working for his master, he escaped and began farming on his own. By 1998, he was doing well enough to win the Greater Accra Best Farmer Award. He again won the regional award in 2004, and then followed that with the national award in 2006. But Akpah is not just a successful farmer. He also has a big heart. Among other things, he constructed schools and donated them to the government for the education of children in his community. He is a true Ghanaian hero.

There were no nominees for the Osagyefo Award for Pan-Africanism. Nominations for the 2009 HHGA should be emailed to: ghanaawards@yahoo.com. The panel to review nominations will be created in due course.

Credit: Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, (Economist, Politician and Social Commentator e-mail: niimoi@yahoo.com)