Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman, Awentami Paul Afoko, has shared a powerful message about the importance of civic courage, saying it is the “prime ingredient” for national progress. Afoko emphasized that defending principles, speaking truth to power, and protecting democracy should never be seen as partisan or tied to political ideologies, but rather as moral duties that every citizen must uphold.
Speaking at the fifth Dialogue Public Lecture at the Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing at the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) on November 21, 2025, Afoko explained that civic courage is the ability to declare wrongdoing even when it comes at personal cost. “Civic courage is the willingness to defend principles even when it is dangerous, to speak truth even when truth is unwelcoming,” he said. “It is what holds a nation together, because it is rooted in moral fibre, not political colours.”
Afoko noted that while academic discussions often present courage as clean, heroic, and simple, real life is far more complex. True courage, he explained, demands a deeper, riskier form of truth-telling, one that can come with serious consequences. He shared his own story as an example, recalling the time of the 1981 coup that brought the late Jerry John Rawlings back to power. At that time, Afoko publicly questioned the legitimacy of the takeover and called for the return of power to the democratically elected president, Dr. Hilla Liman, even though Afoko did not belong to Liman’s party, the PNP.
His actions were guided not by politics but by a strong sense of justice and conviction. “Speaking up is expensive,” Afoko told the audience. “But keeping silent is more expensive. Silence would have betrayed my conviction, and it would have opened a dangerous gate that could have harmed the country.” His criticism led to his arrest and detention without trial. He was later imprisoned and ultimately fled the country, spending nearly twenty years in exile before returning when the political environment became safer.
Afoko said that his courage helped expand the space for dissent and open criticism in Ghana, which later became a foundation for the country’s move toward multi-party democracy. From his experiences, he learned that courage shapes nations far more than fear ever will. He encouraged young Ghanaians to resist the temptation of silence when democratic values are under threat, emphasizing that moral duty should guide their actions more than personal safety or convenience.
He reminded the audience that defending truth is never easy, and that those who speak out often face sacrifices, but the long-term benefits for the nation are priceless. Afoko’s story of arrest, exile, and eventual return shows that one person’s commitment to principle can leave a lasting impact on a country’s history and democratic future.
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