Akufo-Addo doctorate degree from Sorbonne makes him a global icon - Tema MCE

Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, has observed that the conference of an honorary Doctorate on President Akufo-Addo by the Soborne University, Paris, France, cements Akufo-Addo as a global icon. In a write-up following the honorary conference in France, Hon. Amarh-Ashitey said the award also shows that the Ghanaian President is like the proverbial prophet who is not appreciated in his own home. “What we have refused to see, others elsewhere have seen and are dignifying it. this Soborne University honorary doctorate is yet another layer of evidence that our president is a global icon even though he is not very much appreciated in his own country,” the write-up by the MCE said. He added that, “hopefully, Ghanaians will be motivated to also see the good that deserves celebration in this exceptional leader and internationally decorated global icon of our time.” On Monday, October 10, 2022, President Nana Akufo-Addo was presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of Sorbonne, in Paris, France Sorbonne University conferred the award on President Akufo-Addo in recognition of his commitment to entrenching the values of democracy in Ghana, fostering peace within the West Africa sub Region, guaranteeing access to a minimum of senior high school education for all of Ghana's children through the implementation of the Free SHS policy, and also for the leadership shown in the fight against COVID-19, amongst others. Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey also pointed out in his write-up that this is the fourth honorary doctorate conferred on the president by various universities across the world, including from Ghana. “Indeed, this is the fourth Honorary Doctorate Degree to be conferred on the President - the first being an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree conferred on him in May 2016, from the celebrated Fort Hare University of South Africa,” he wrote. The second, an honourary doctor of humane letters degree from the University of Liberia was conferred in December 2017, and the third, in May 2021, from the University of Cape Coast. “I don’t think there is any Ghanaian leader who has received so many honorary doctorates in such a short time as president Akufo-Addo. The evidence is clear that this president is a global icon,” Hon. Amarh Ashitey added. Meanwhile, when he was receiving the honour, President Akufo-Addo said he was delighted to be placed in the same company as Pablo Picasso, Kofi Annan, Amartya Sen, and Nelson Mandela - who have also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Sorbonne University.