Being here today among you as graduating students brings back memories of how as student leaders from various tertiary institutions we fought relentlessly to restore Ghana to democratic rule from the late-eighties to the early-nineties. We had a strong conviction that democracy would provide us the opportunity to pursue our aspirations in an environment of freedom and justice. Those were difficult times.

In I989, while serving as Coordinating Secretary to the National Union of Ghana Students, I recall being arrested by the Police Striking Force, beaten up mercilessly and locked up in the cells at the Greater Accra Regional Police Headquarters. I was subsequently prosecuted but after a few months trial at the Cocoa Affairs Circuit Court, I was acquitted and discharged. Those were the days of the infamous “Culture of Silence” during which period one could disappear for daring to criticize the ruling military junta.

In the early days of the 31^st December Revolution, students of the three universities in Ghana went on demonstration in protest against the brutalization of a pregnant woman in Kumasi. Such was the level of student sensitivity to the protection of civil rights in Ghana. Today we have democracy with all its ugly realities but it is still better than the best military rule.

Whatever your status might be on the job market or on the leadership front, one thing is clear that Global Executive College has empowered you with deeper knowledge and wisdom. It is not only to enable you to better your personal economic circumstances but perhaps more importantly to contribute more meaningfully in building a new Ghana and Africa.

As you step out after this graduation ceremony, remember at all times that Africa and Ghana for that matter are caught in a deep quagmire of poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment for the youth in the abundance of natural resources not because we lack knowledgeable professionals and intellectuals. We have them in large numbers. What we lack, especially in public office are the fearless and selfless nation builders who will not bow to the god of greed, the god of corruption or the god of intimidation. We need men and women in leadership with a servant mentality and guided by a strong sense of HUMILITY, HONESTY, PROFESSIONALISM, PATRIOTISM and the FEAR OF GOD.

One of the ugly legacies I inherited in 2017 as the Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority was a World Bank funded procurement process for selecting a developer to build a container terminal in Takoradi Port. The transaction advisor had eliminated all potential Ghanaian investors in favour of the multinational companies because according to them, no Ghanaian had the required level of experience to develop and manage the facility.

I found the assertion too insulting to our national pride considering the fact that the port industry has been with us since 1928, about 93 years now. Therefore, I did the needful by cancelling that World Bank Public Private Partnership process.

After consultation with the Economic Management Team chaired by the Vice President, I eventually awarded the concession to an indigenous Ghanaian company through the public procurement process. Of course, the World Bank vilified me in a ruthless attack but the Public Procurement Authority came to my rescue. Today we refer to IBISTEK Company with pride as the first and only indigenous company developing a container terminal in the whole of West Africa.

Furthermore, I wrote to the president appealing for a review of the MPS Container Terminal Agreement for the development of a container terminal in Tema Port. I believed that many of the conditions in the agreement were unjust and exploitative.

An inter-ministerial committee chaired by Hon Titus Glover was set up by the Economic Management Team to re-examine the agreement for a possible review. The Committee made wide-ranging recommendations to sanitize the agreement but only God knows what happened to those recommendations.

The bizarre contents of many of the concession agreements and contracts which the international financial institutions lead our governments to sign with multinational companies clearly show that they are not in Africa to reduce poverty as they claim.  Many of such agreements are designed to profit from the greed and mediocrity of most of our leaders to exploit Africa, entrench poverty and deepen the cycle of dependency. What is worse, they use all sorts of gimmicks to have their way including bribery, intimidation, threats and blackmail. This cuts across all sectors of the economy – Ports, Energy, Mining, Oil and Gas, etc. This trend is gradually pushing African economies into the period after the Berlin Conference in 1885 when Europe came to Africa and shared the continent and her resources among themselves.

The leadership deficit of a fragmented Africa seems to render the continent vulnerable as the world continues to scheme to take advantage of our weaknesses. At this very moment, all the 55 African countries are helplessly waiting on the outside world for vaccination of their citizens against covid-19. Even at very exorbitant prizes, it is still difficult to get those vaccines. Some of us have injected what they say are vaccines and all we can do is to pray and hope that they are indeed vaccines because we have no means to verify what they really are. The recent discovery of a new variant of Covid called Omicron in South Africa was met with a simple and rapid response. Just cut off Africa from Europe and America. Meanwhile the Covid itself originated from China through Europe and America to Africa.

Our educational systems continue to produce year after year, thousands of young graduates who are not sure of their future. In desperation, thousands of university graduates in Ghana are throwing away their degrees and using their SHS certificates to seek lower level employment including recruitment into the security services. Many are also taking to drugs, internet fraud, armed robbery, prostitution, gayism and lesbianism to make a living. It has emerged that some fortunate young people who gain employment become agents of robbery gangs from within against their employers. Again, thousands of them drown in the Mediterranean or starve to death on the Sahara as they attempt crossing to Europe in search of greener pastures.

We are struggling to break away from excessive borrowing and dependency on foreign powers and trying to find innovative and reliable means to sustain Africa’s development. This is what the current Electronic Levy introduced in Ghana is meant to achieve. The implementation may be painful but the alternative of excessive borrowing and perpetual indebtedness are neither desirable nor sustainable.

It is critical for Africa to take control of her resources and restore her economies to the people of Africa. Above all Africa is looking for leaders who will unify the ranks of the continent into a strong global force and rise beyond the inequalities and injustices of this world.

Many are the challenges of Africa that can only be resolved by smart, selfless and visionary leaders with a transformative mindset to take the continent to another level. I therefore challenge you to live beyond the level of mediocrity experienced in the leadership space across Africa.

We need leaders who will understand that being rich is not about how much money they have in their bank accounts but how many hearts and lives they touch with their service to humanity in their lifetime.

Regrettably, our own society frowns on people in high positions of trust who do not take advantage of their stewardship to become rich.  Many people in leadership positions therefore focus their energies on pursuing wealth by any means possible instead of striving to make their leadership felt in the lives of ordinary people. The office of the Special Prosecutor has been set up in response to this widespread phenomenon but our success in addressing the situation will depend on the extent of commitment on the part of government in fighting corruption within its own ranks.  Always remember the words in Proverbs 29:4 that “By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down. Remember also the scripture in Proverb 20:17, which says, “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel”.

As I speak to you, a tall list of high profile personalities are on trial for various dishonest conducts that caused the loss of several millions of USDs to the state. Many of those found guilty end up selling the properties they fraudulently acquired to pay back to the state. Some are also serving long-term sentences in prison.

In 2013, I launched the Tema Port Integrity Project as the Marketing and PR Manager of the port. My objective was to rid the Ghanaian corridor of all corrupt practices from Tema Port to the Paga border. When I became the Director General of Ghana Port and Harbours Authority in 2017, I thought that was the opportunity to take the anti-corruption crusade to a new level. At the initial stages of my stewardship, I rejected a bribe of $50,000.00 offered me to influence a decision and I was genuinely naïve to think that my bosses would clap for me.

I was rather accused of embarrassing the person behind that offer and that was the beginning of my woes. At that time, almost everybody in government believed that the ports should provide them with unlimited opportunities to be rich overnight. I found myself in an unpleasant position to object to several instructions and directives that would compromise integrity and good governance. The response was: “this guy will not help us; this guy will not help us”. The chorus grew louder by day and the conspiracy to take me out grew stronger by day. Eventually, I lasted only 15 months and the many innovations I had initiated also ended. Nevertheless, I am a happy person today because I am confident that nobody will come and accuse me of any wrong doing today or in future.

I encourage you to say yes if you can but learn to say no if you have to say no. Do not compromise your sense of integrity and professionalism just because you must keep your job at all cost.

Defend the interest of your country at all times and do not betray your country to become rich. Take delight in the pride of being a Ghanaian driven by love, devotion and attachment to your country. Be loyal to the demands of your job, be loyal to the organization that feeds you and be loyal to the country that brought you into this world.

Be guided by a deep sense of ultimate accountability to God in all your actions and decisions. For some of you hard work and honesty may not be the yardstick for measuring your performance. Your bosses may love you only if you condone with them to do the wrong things. Building a public service career on the fear of God, professionalism and patriotism may win you more enemies than friends but care more about the number of actions you do right rather than the number of enemies your right actions would attract.

Those of you who may be fortunate to lead various organizations, institutions and agencies must cultivate a sturdy culture of organizational justice. This means that you don’t have to consider people’s ethnicity, religion, gender or political affiliation before extending opportunities to them. This also means that for the men in particular, you don’t have to demand sex from young women before giving them their merited positions and promotions. Give equal chances to everyone on account of one’s competence and capabilities.

Bear in mind that the quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his or her commitment to excellence. Whatever you may find yourself doing, your major objective must not be to make money quickly. Aim at satisfying your stakeholders with the quality of your service or leadership. Exceed their normal expectation and generate the responses that will translate into business growth and profitability. Leave the footprints of your honest stewardship in the hearts and minds of those whom God will appoint you to serve.

Finally, as you leave here today, I beseech you to go into the world with a mindset to make a difference in whatever area, sector or capacity you may find yourself in. Have a positive influence on all those you come across. When they are delighted, you may ride on their back to success in life. If they are angered by your honesty and loyalty to your calling, you would assert yourself as a dignified personality and posterity will honour you.

Take note that the cross of change is not carried by the fainthearted but by he that is persuaded about the need for change and is committed to the course of making a difference. For the sake of the joy that is set before us whether as Christians or Muslims, let us endure the painful weight of the cross of integrity in service or leadership, knowing that our labour will not be in vain.

Thank you very much and God be with you.