After erecting a monument during a visit to the Western Region of Ghana, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has ignited a heated discussion by drawing attention to the statue in Takoradi.
Takoradi is trending in Ghana because residents of the city have reacted harshly to the unveiled statue of Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Sekondi.
They erected the statue of the outgoing president, which has drawn criticism, to “recognize his administration’s contributions to the region’s development.”
Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the minister for the area, said that the monument, which was placed in front of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi, was intended to serve as a memorial to the president’s many development projects that he had undertaken throughout his tenure as president.
Several people took to social media to express their disapproval at the unveiling of the monument, with many of them accusing the president of engaging in “self-glorification.”
At the time, a number of important development projects were still incomplete, and opposition politicians and ordinary Ghanaians expressed their discontent with the monument, asking whether or not it was necessary to have such a memorial.
An opposition member of parliament named Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah stated on X that “the people of the Western Region deserve more than these self-serving exhibitions.”
“This attitude echoed the sentiments of many others who believed that the monument was unneeded.”
As part of a “thank-you trip,” former President Akufo-Addo, who was scheduled to leave office in January after serving two terms, travelled to a number of different locations.
During his administration, he said that he had followed through on eighty percent of the commitments he had made to the people of Ghana.
However, many say the monument is excessive and premature, and some want it removed after the president leaves office.
One social media user commented on X, a monument where photographs went viral, stating, “It would be excellent if the president had enabled posterity to identify and appreciate his efforts.”
In spite of the criticism, there were many who praised the monument, arguing that it was a fitting homage to Akufo-Addo’s accomplishments.
This magnificent memorial is more than fitting for him. “I have never had a better president than this one,” a fan of Akufo-Addo tweeted a message honoring him as the “creator of Ghana’s free education system.” According to the message, Ghanaians would miss Akufo-Addo.
During the unveiling, Regional Minister Darko-Mensah highlighted numerous important initiatives initiated during the president’s administration, emphasizing their influence on the Western Region.
The most important legacy that Akufo-Addo left behind was his decision to do away with the requirement that secondary school students pay tuition.
In the course of the event, the President of Ghana said, “Free education is my finest accomplishment, and it will continue to benefit generations of Ghanaians.”
