Chief of staff, Majority Leader, E.T Mensah, and others to receive awards

Some distinguished past and present Ghanaian public office holders are set to be awarded by the Initiators of Change Foundation through its annual Lifetime in a Portraits Award.

The “Lifetime in a Portrait Award” aims at discovering and celebrating distinguished individuals from various backgrounds with the prime goal of engendering social cohesion, unity, patriotism, role modelling, and national development.

This year’s edition coincides with the foundation's tenth anniversary, hence "Lifetime In a Portrait Award Of the Decade."

This year's event, which is set to come off in April is set to award distinguished public office holders, including Mr Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (Late former Vice President of Ghana); Mrs Akosua Fremaa Osei-Opare (Chief of Staff); Mrs Mary Chinery-Hesse (former Chief Advisor to President Kufuor); Ambassador James Victor Gbeho (former President of the ECOWAS Commission); Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu(Majority Leader of Parliament); Mr E.T. Mensah (Member of the Council of State); Rev. Father Andrew Campbell (Parish Priest, Christ the King); Nana Dr Dankawoso Appiagyei I (Former Chairman, Pan-African Chamber of Commerce), Sheikh Dr Nuhu Osman Sharubutu (Chief Imam).

Rationale

The Executive Director of the foundation, Mr Kofi Gyan, in a statement, said the foundation agrees with the maxim that “a nation which does not celebrate her heroes is not worth dying for”.

That, he said, public servants and those who through their outstanding service to humanity have made Ghana proud in the international community, would be awarded in this year’s edition.

He added “In 2015, the foundation organised the maiden edition of Lifetime in a Portrait Award for all the elected Presidents and Heads of State of Ghana, two International Statesmen, and three distinguished Ghanaian women achievers.

Mr Gyan said the 2016 and 2017 editions, focused on some distinguished captains of industries and whose efforts have created many opportunities for several Ghanaians, as well as contributing to national development.

Past recipients include

Previous recipients of the awards include: Mr. Kofi Annan (Former UN Secretary General), Her Ladyship Justice Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood (First Female Chief Justice of Ghana), Nelson Mandela (Former President of the republic of South Africa), RT. Hon. Justice Joyce Bamford Addo (First Female Speaker of Parliament, and Her Ladyship Justice Akua Kuenyehia (First Vice President of the International Criminal Court).

Others are Nick Danso Adjei (Chairman, Ghana Link Network Services), Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo (Founder, Kantanka Group of Companies), Dr. Osei Kwame Despite (Chairman, Despite Goup of Companies), Alhaji Asoma Banda (CEO, Antrak Group of Companies).

Background 

Initiators of Change Foundation (ICF) is an NGO with a focus on Good Governance, Poverty Reduction, Empowerment and Human Resource Development.

Former President Mr John Agyekum Kufuor is the life patron of the foundation, and he is supported by a board of trustees of eminent Ghanaians, including Most Rev Dr Aboagye-Mensah (Former Presiding Bishop of Methodist Church of Ghana, Former General Secretary, Christian Council of Ghana), Prof. Miranda Greenstreet (Co-Chairperson of CODEO, Chairperson of the popular Greenstreet Report), and Dr Isaac Owusu Mensah ( Director of Research at the Presidency and Political Science lecturer, University of Ghana).