I Know Deep Within My Heart That I Did My Best For The Nation

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he was extremely happy with two things when he stepped down on January 7, 2025— ie. the strengthening of Ghanaian democracy, which he greatly values, and the fact that he entered and exited office peacefully.

Speaking at a Thanksgiving mass in his honor on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at the Accra Ridge Church, the former President stated that despite the different opinions regarding his two terms in office, he knows in his heart that he gave the country his best effort when he was in office.

“I leave office with two great satisfactions. One is that the democratic values to whose sustenance I have devoted my life now appear to have taken deep roots in the body politic of our country, and I say Amen to that. The second is that I came in peace, and I have left in peace,” former President Akufo-Addo remarked.

“My fellow Ghanaians, it has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life to have been elected twice to serve you as the President of the Republic. No matter the controversies that are inevitable in the assessment of that service, one thing I know from the bottom of my heart is that I did my very best,” Akufo-Addo further remarked.

“The records of his two governments in the areas of educational reform, healthcare delivery, industrial development, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, digital transformation, and environmental protection are all now matters of history and he is content to await and abide by the verdict of history on their benefits,” President Akufo-Addo said in his statement.

National security in the face of the terrorist menace in the Sahelian Region, the revival of the economy, the unleashing of Ghana’s tourism potential, the enhancement of Ghana’s global image, the contribution to the integration of ECOWAS and Africa, and the engagement of the global African community” were other areas he listed as areas that his administration prioritized.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021, however, was “unquestionably the greatest single challenge” that the nation faced during his administration, according to former President Akufo-Addo, who described it as “an unforeseen, unprecedented, and unknown virus that crippled the entire globe.”

“It proved to be a herculeanian task, and I am glad that with the help of the Almighty and the resilience of the Ghanaian people, we were able to overcome it, indeed, providing leadership that was globally acknowledged at the time,” Akufo-Addo added.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo received a citation from the Ghanaian Anglican Church. The citation recognized President Akufo-Addo’s accomplishments in the fields of education through the Free SHS policy, industrialization, economic growth, dedication to democratic ideals, and assistance to the Ghanaian Anglican Church.

“As you celebrate the remarkable legacy of your tenure, we the Anglican Church of Ghana express our heartfelt gratitude for your steadfast commitment to God, Ghana, and humanity and we pray for divine blessings, guidance, and peace in all your endeavours,” the citation of the Church to former President Akufo-Addo read in part.

In addition to former cabinet ministers, ministers of state, New Patriotic Party (NPP) party leadership, and appointees who held various positions during the Akufo-Addo administration, former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, former Second Lady Mrs. Samira Bawumia, attended the Mass.