The biennial award scheme, which seeks to celebrate distinguished Ghanaians in their fields of work, was first held in 2014 when 23 people were honoured in memory of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Due to the upcoming general elections, the awards night of this edition would be held in December next year, the organisers explained. The award honours personalities in academia, medicine, arts and entertainment, ICT, innovation among other areas.

The launch of this edition coincided with the 107th birthday of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s founding president, which was observed as a public holiday in the country yesterday. Professor Kofi Asare Opoku, Director at the Nana Kwabena Nketia Centre for African Studies, African University College of Communications (AUCC), in a special tribute, said there was the need for the current generation to build on the genius of Kwame Nkrumah.

His tribute was on the theme, ‘Standing on a stone: Nkrumah and the African genius.”

According to the professor, Ghanaians and Africans had not been able to discover themselves, a key component of Kwame Nkrumah’s sterling life. He said the Convention People’s Party founder was of self confidence and felt proud as an African who was capable of managing his own affairs, a trait that is missing in the African of present generation.

Prof. Opoku said there was a glorious history bequeathed to the Ghanaian and the African, by the life of Kwame Nkrumah and other leaders on the continent, which should be used to inspire this generation to greatness.

Mr. Kojo Yankah, Board Chairman of the awards scheme on his part advocated for conscious efforts to motivate people to give their all to the country. He said the award scheme would rekindle the spirit of nationalism and volunteerism. The scheme, he disclosed, would be extended to other parts of the continent to celebrate all those who contributed to the liberation of Africa.

Nana Oduro Kwarteng, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, lamented what he called “the adulteration of the Ghanaian culture and history by modernisation”.

He said Kwame Nkrumah’s virtues as an African gem and a proud Ghanaian was being eroded and needed to be safeguarded. He described the day Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown as the day Ghana started to retrogress describing the masterminds of the coup as the bane of the country’s forward march.

By Julius Yao Petetsi