President John Dramani Mahama has called on those in authority now to be ready to sacrifice for the children of today in order to inherit a peaceful future.
Speaking during the 59th Independence Day Anniversary of Ghana at the Black Star Square Sunday, President Mahama said the West African nation and some African countries are enjoying freedom today because our forebears “some of whom are not known” laid down their lives for today’s generation.
“We are the ones that must ensure there is liberty in our lands. Every year school children are included in the Independence Day parade, not for the purposes of entertainment but as a representation of our nation’s future.
“These children are the future of Ghana… it’s our responsibility to safeguard our independence so that the nation that we leave for our children to inherit will also be free, peaceful and democratic,” Mahama told a parade of school children, service personnel, political leaders including the presidents of Kenya and Guinea Bissau Uhuru Kenyatta and Jose Mario Vaz respectively.
He added: “The future we are building is situated on the grounds that our forebears broke. In the future these children who marched here today will be depending on our attitudes and actions. The successes and failures of these nations belong to all of us.
“We have to provide today’s children with a solid foundation… We must invest ourselves not only in the achievements the nation has chalked but also in the challenges because each of us is the face of Ghana. We must use discussions to strengthen who we are as one nation. We can’t encourage conversations that will discourage us and weaken our morale.”
Uhuru Kenyatta and Jose Mario Vaz joined Mahama to review a national parade of school children, voluntary organisations and security services at the Black Star Square.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Investing in the Youth for Ghana’s Transformation.”