By
Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Oct 18, GNA –
Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has urged Ghanaians to strive for excellence in
nation’s building.
She said in a nation
where excellence was rewarded, mediocrity would be shrunk and greatness would
beckon.
“A national
commitment to excellence will mean that we all expect the best from each other;
that excuses will not do; and everyone will be held to the same high
standards,” Justice Akuffo stated in her presentation at the University of
Ghana 2019 Alumni Lecture on the theme “Quest for Excellence”.
The Event was
organised by the University of Ghana Alumni Association (UGAA) and Chaired by
Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice-Chancellor of University of Ghana.
The lecture touched
on five areas -resistance to positive change; effective deployment of new
technologies as a result of huge investment required to execute tasks; and how
to strategize to achieve excellence.
The Chief Justice
encouraged Ghanaians to celebrate excellence, to invariably tell others to do
less was to shirk one’s duty to oneself, community and nation.
She said excellence
was demanded from everybody, and that, the Judicial Service of Ghana had chosen
to walk the path of excellence by using information and communication
technology (ICT) tools to deliver expeditious justice.
“Also, everybody
should work towards making Ghana grow to reflect the famous declaration ‘we are
free forever’!”
Justice Akuffo urged
students of the University of Ghana to embrace positive mind-sets in their
endeavours.
Justice Akuffo, who
cautioned students on misuse of social media, on the other hand, encouraged
them to be abreast with technology.
Mr Richard Obeng
Okrah, Chairman of UGAA, called on the alumni of the University to stand and be
counted with their time and treasure to the benefit of their alma mater.
He said currently,
they were aware that Alumni allegiances were more focused on their Halls of
Residence; and that while maintaining their Hall allegiances, it was time to
coalesce efforts to leverage diversity in the greater interest of their Alma
Mater.
“Our history and
heritage demand that as Alumni, ancient and modern, we do more to be part of
the future of this great institution”, he added.
He said the Alumni
Re-Connect Fund was to organize a mega-fund raising initiative in the immediate
term to solicit funds from a critical mass of at least 150,000 Alumni of the
University, corporate institutions, multilateral agencies, governmental and
non-governmental agencies, as well as the public to raise an amount of GH₵ 200
million for the University.
He said they were
also collaborating with the Alumni Relations Office of the University to
provide a database of Alumni who would be contacted to make donations on a
portal that was being developed, saying, the money raised would be their direct
Endowment to the University.
He noted that in the
short to medium term, they planned to issue another GH₵ 500 million with
amortization structures to potential investors for investment in hostels.
He said details of
these fundraising initiatives would be spelt out shortly in a ‘Road Show’,
scheduled to start before the end of the year.
GNA
