FULL TEXT: President Mahama's 69th Independence Anniversary Speech
Your Excellency, Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang
Your Excellency, First Lady Lordina Dramani Mahama
The Honourable Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis,
Your Lordship, Chief Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie
Your Excellencies, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
The Chief of Staff and senior government officials
Ministers and deputy ministers
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Honourable Members of Parliament
Naa-Mei, Nananom
Officers and Men of the Ghana Armed Forces and other Security Services
Our school children and young Ghanaians
Countrymen and women
On this sacred day, the 6th of March, we gather once more to commemorate the freedom that our forebears won for us 69 years ago. We stand here not merely as witnesses to history, but as architects of our collective destiny, united by the red of our courage, the gold of our wealth, the green of our forests, and the black star that shines as a beacon of hope for all of Africa.
Today, as we commemorate our 69th year of independence, we do so under the clarion theme: "Building Prosperity, Inspiring Hope." This reflects the covenant between the government and the citizenry. It is and must remain a sacred promise that guides every decision we make, every policy we craft, and every dream we dare to pursue.
Seven days ago, I stood before Parliament and presented the State of our Nation. I spoke candidly about our challenges and proudly about our progress. Today, I speak to all of Ghana, to every farmer in the northern savannah belt, every trader at Makola, every teacher in our classrooms, every nurse in our health facilities, every young entrepreneur with a smartphone and a dream, and every Ghanaian wherever they may be.
This is our story. This is our moment. We cannot speak of Ghana's present without genuflecting at the altar of our past.
Sixty-nine years ago, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of our nation, declared to the world:
"The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent."
Nkrumah did not merely give us a country; he gave us a consciousness. He reminded us that we are not just Ghanaians but Africans, with a sacred duty to lead, inspire, and uplift. He and the valiant men and women of the Big Six, alongside countless unnamed heroes and heroines, sacrificed comfort, liberty, and in some cases their very lives, so that we might breathe free.
Today, I say let us also remember those who came after them. Every president, every leader who, in their own time and with their own vision, contributed to building this nation. From Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia to General Akwasi Afrifa, from Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings through Dr Hilla Limann to President John Agyekum Kufuor, from the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Each administration, regardless of political colouration, has laid bricks in the edifice we call Ghana. We may have differed in methods and philosophies, but we have been united in our love for this nation.
Today, I salute them all. Our democracy is stronger because we have learned to disagree without being disagreeable, to compete without destroying, and to transition power peacefully as a testament to the maturity of our people.
Your Excellency, Dr the Honourable Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, your presence here today is profoundly symbolic. Your visit, Wednesday's bilateral discussions and your tour of Cape Coast are not mere diplomatic courtesies. It is a homecoming, a reconnection of branches torn from the same ancestral tree.
The Caribbean and Ghana share blood, culture, and a painful history. The dungeons of Cape Coast and Elmina witnessed unspeakable horrors as millions of our ancestors were stolen, shackled, and shipped across the Middle Passage to lives of brutal servitude.
Their forced labour built the wealth of empires while our continent was drained of its human treasure. But from that darkness came resilience. From that suffering came culture, creativity, and an indomitable spirit that no chain could bind.
Today, Ghana is leading Africa's charge for justice. This month, I will present to the United Nations a historic resolution declaring slavery and the slave trade the gravest crime against humanity. A crime without statute of limitations, a wound that demands healing, and an injustice that demands reparations.
This is not about reopening old wounds; it is about acknowledging that they never properly healed. Reparations are not charity. They are compensation. They are justice delayed but not denied.
And Ghana, the first sub-Saharan nation to gain independence, will once again lead the way in securing dignity and recompense for the descendants of those who suffered.
Your Excellency, Prime Minister Drew, your visit marks the deepening of the bonds between Ghana and the Caribbean — bonds of trade, culture, and shared destiny.
Countrymen and women, when I assumed office, I came with a clear mandate from you to Reset Ghana. Not merely to manage our challenges, but to fundamentally transform our approach to governance, development, and national prosperity.
Resetting Ghana means restoring integrity to public life and reviving industries that were left dormant. It means rekindling hope in the hearts of our young people.
I am proud to report that over the past year we have made significant strides. We have begun the difficult but necessary work of stabilising our economy, bringing down inflation, strengthening the cedi, and restoring investor confidence.
We have renegotiated our debts on terms more favourable to our people. We have cut wasteful expenditure and redirected resources to critical sectors like health, education, and agriculture.
But economic statistics, though important, do not tell the full story. Resetting Ghana is about resetting values, resetting expectations, and resetting the very relationship between leaders and the led.
Let me speak plainly about a cancer that was allowed to eat at the soul of our nation for too long: corruption.
Every cedi stolen from the public purse is a hospital bed that remains empty, a classroom without textbooks, a road left unmotorable, and a young graduate without opportunities.
Corruption mocks the sacrifices of our independence heroes. It betrays the trust of hardworking citizens who pay their taxes faithfully, expecting the government to be a faithful steward.
Under my leadership, we will not pay lip service to fighting corruption. The war has been waged against it, and the fight will be intensified.
I have insulated anti-corruption bodies from political interference and made it clear that no one, regardless of position or party, is above the law.
But the government alone cannot win this fight. We need a cultural revolution that invokes in us all the values of honesty, diligence, and accountability that our forebears held dear.
Countrymen and women, independence came with freedoms, but freedoms come with responsibilities.
We must restore discipline to our national life. Discipline in how we handle public resources. Discipline in how we conduct ourselves in traffic, in queues, in public spaces.
We must reignite patriotism — not the superficial kind, but the quiet, consistent patriotism that makes a citizen pick up litter even when no one is watching.
Young people of Ghana, I see you. I hear you. And I believe in you.
You possess skills and talents that previous generations could only dream of. In your hands, a smartphone is not just a device; it is a business, a classroom, a studio, a bank.
But I also know your frustrations. Too many of you have brilliant ideas but cannot access capital.
My government is committed to creating an environment where your talents can flourish.
At this point, let me congratulate the 52 students who were honoured at the President’s Independence Day Awards for School Children.
Countrymen and women, I am pleased to announce once again that I have assented to the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, and it is now law.
This is a major economic transformation. We will now roll out incentives for businesses that are ready to extend operating hours to 24 hours, optimise national productivity, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Factories will run multiple shifts. Services will be available around the clock. Businesses will have the flexibility to operate when it suits them and their customers best.
This is how we build prosperity. This is how we inspire hope.
I am also pleased to announce that we are in the final stages of establishing the Women’s Development Bank, which will provide accessible and affordable financial services tailored specifically for women entrepreneurs.
Countrymen and women, Ghana's destiny has always been intertwined with Africa's destiny.
Today, Africa stands at a crossroads. We have a population of over 1.4 billion people, the youngest population of any continent, and abundant natural resources.
The African Continental Free Trade Area, headquartered in Accra, represents our collective ambition — a single market for the continent.
As we approach the milestone of our 70th anniversary next year, let us commit to a vision for the next decade: a Ghana where no child goes to bed hungry, where quality education is accessible to all, where healthcare is affordable, and where our roads, railways, and ports are world-class.
My countrymen and women, sixty-nine years ago our nation was born in hope. Today we renew that hope.
As your President, I pledge to serve with integrity, humility, and unwavering commitment to your welfare.
I will listen to your concerns and be accountable for my actions. But I cannot do this alone. I need you. Ghana needs you.
Whatever you do, wherever you are, do it with excellence. Do it for Ghana. Do it for Africa.
Building Prosperity, Inspiring Hope is not just a theme for today. It is a mandate for every day.
May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.
Long live Ghana!
Long live Africa!
Long live freedom!
Thank you, and Happy Independence Day.
