Forbes Africa Magazine, the organiser of the African of the Year award, has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was given the coveted recognition for this year for his visionary leadership and policies that are developing the country.
It mentioned the Ghana Beyond Aid vision, the leadership exhibited in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, policies such as the Year of Return and Beyond the Return, the hosting of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Accra, Ghana being made Africa’s trade hub for Twitter Africa, among others, for the conferment of the award on the President.
It added policies such as Agenda 111, the free senior high school (free SHS) and other policies that were stimulating entrepreneurship among the youth.
Reason
The Executive Director of Forbes Africa Magazine, owners of CNBC Africa and ABN Productions, Mr Frederic Van de Vyver, announced this when he presented the award to President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House yesterday.
The memento depicting the award has the inscription: ‘All African Business Leader Award-2021 African of the Year’. It is glass-shaped in the form of the Africa map that sits on a piece of wooden pane.
Mr de Vyver said President Akufo-Addo’s weekly broadcast on the COVID-19 provided clarity for Ghanaians on the difficult decisions taken to deal with the pandemic during those trying times.
He recounted the statement by the Nigerian industrialist, Mr Aliko Dangote, that Africa needed visionary leaders like President Akufo-Addo as one of the vindications of the sterling qualities of Ghana’s President.
Forbes Africa, which has already profiled the President for its cover for the December 2021/January 2022 edition of the magazine, unveiled the President a week ago as winner of the award.
Ghanaians
President Akufo-Addo, who personally received the award at the Jubilee House, described it as a vindication of the choice Ghanaians made to vote for him and their support for his policies.
“It was as a result of the work of my government, and not just myself, but all the various people who have been assisting me and also about the population, the Ghanaian people who have made these choices and have been supportive of the work that I do,” he added.
“The award is for the people of Ghana, the government and myself. I have to confess that it is something that is overwhelming for me and I appreciate it very much,” the President added.
President Akufo-Addo noted that he was “extremely honoured, very flattered by this award”, and that the reason for the presentation indicated that Forbes Africa had been looking at what his government had been doing, saying that for him, it was comforting.
He said as the leader of the team doing things, he did not know that some people outside of the country were taking note.
“You appear to have a very good grasp of all the various things we were trying to do to develop our country and move it forward,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Tenure
He explained that he had a maximum of eight years to make an impact on the country and, therefore, it was an inspiration for him to get as many things as possible done, indicating that he was happy that the things were producing results.
