President John Evans Atta Mills on Saturday released a New Year message to Ghanaians. The following is the full text.
Full Text:
"Fellow Ghanaians, my brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, as we begin this New Year, 2011, let us give thanks to God Almighty for guiding us through the past year.
"It is by the Grace of God that we are alive to see the first day of this New Year and we must be grateful Him.
"The year 2010 came and passed us by with its ups and downs; so shall 2011 have its ups and downs.
"As a nation, of utmost importance to us, must be a strong focus on the ups, and learn from the downs; holding on to the things that unite us and letting go of the things that divide us.
"If we spend a little bit more of our time looking up, instead of looking down, there is a lot that we can thank God for, for making us Ghanaians.
"As President of Ghana, a great moment of joy for me last year, was the presence of my predecessors, former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor at the launch of our First Oil in Takoradi.
"The presence of the former Presidents at such an all-important national event, gave the ceremony its right and proper Ghanaian identity and Ghana is grateful to them.
"United we stand, divided we fall!
"Fellow Ghanaians, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, although our challenges are great, we must have the courage and determination to rise up and meet them because it is only through perseverance, sacrifice and commitment, that we shall conquer and overcome.
"As the ship of state sails through the tempestuous seas towards its Better Ghana destination, the ship will be buffeted by storms and high winds but with God in our vessel, we will only smile at the storms and high winds.
"Despite the challenges that will continue to stare us in the face, I am extremely confident that with the strong rays of hope flickering through our skies, and in a sturdy manner, a Better Ghana will be built.
"Over the years, our sportsmen and women have continued to be worthy ambassadors of Ghana and on behalf of the nation, I thank our gallant sportsmen and women; who brought glory and honour to our Motherland last year. We are proud of each and every one of them! It is the hope of the nation that sports will continue to be a unique selling point for Ghana.
"I thank our gallant troops who are on peacekeeping missions across the world for the wonderful job they are doing to bring peace and stability to war-torn nations, as well as giving hope and a future to such nations.
"To the unsung heroes of the Better Ghana agenda; the teacher, the farmer, the fisherman, the driver, the doctor, the nurse, the lawyer, the market woman, the seamstress, the tailor, the barber, the labourer, the hawker, amongst others; I say ayekoo to you all for your invaluable contribution to building this dear nation of ours.
"Ghana will continue to value your efforts. Fellow Ghanaians, my brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, as we gear up to walk through this new year, my plea is that, we commit ourselves to a more hopeful future knowing that with, dedication, commitment, hard work, and love for God and country, a Better Ghana will be built. I have declared 2011 a year of Action; and I assure you that the Change that I promised, as regards managing the affairs of state, is still on course.
"I remain committed to, Investing in the Ghanaian people, Expanding Infrastructure, building a Strong and Resilient Economy, and managing the affairs of state in an, Open, Honest, Truthful and Transparent manner. May the blessings and Grace of God be with us all throughout the, hours, days, weeks, and months of this promising New Year, 2011.
"Ghana is all we have; let us hold on strongly to our beloved Motherland! On behalf of, Government, the NDC Party, and my wife, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills, I wish every Ghanaian home and abroad, and friends of Ghana, a happy, prosperous, purposeful, and blessed New Year.
"May the Good Lord continue to bless our homeland Ghana and make us great and strong!
"I thank you for your attention!
"Afehyia Paa!!!"