Garlands for men of integrity
The 23rd edition of the West African Forum is scheduled to come off on June 30, in Accra.
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The forum is organised by the West Africa Nobles Forum (WANF).
Unfortunately, some think it is just another group established to enrich its functionaries and members.
But for those who have followed their activities, the annual fora, conferences, investiture of new members and honours across the West Africa sub-region, since it was registered in October 2003 in Accra, Ghana, the WANF has helped to reshape governance and democratic governance.
WANF, which held the maiden edition of the eminent West Africans’ forum in 2001, in Accra, Ghana and the second, third and fourth editions in Lome, Togo, Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria, respectively, has over 2,000 ‘Nobles’ so far identified across the sub-region, who abhor corrupt practices, are transparently honest, and live uprightly.
It is on the theme; “Integrity and Politicians.”
Reason for forum
The Executive Director of the Forum, Dr Dee Otibu-Asare said that prominent West Africans of noble minds and sublime achievements would gather in Accra in line with the group’s mission to brainstorm, diagnose and come up with solutions to the myriads of problems confronting the West African sub-region.
Dr Otibu-Asare, who said the programme was being organised in collaboration with New West Africa International magazine, stated that the group, which promotes integrity and accountability in private and public lives of the citizenry of the sub-region, had long identified corruption as the bane of the sub-region’s advancement and were working quietly to fight it.
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“Our members are eminent personalities, who made their way to the top by righteous living and, they, in strong terms, abhor corruption and dishonesty. To mark this year’s Gathering of Moral Giants, the Board of Trustees of the Forum has resolved to honour a few West Africans, who have excelled in their various fields of endeavour and have upheld the virtues of honesty and accountability,” the Executive Director said, stating that members believed success in life was possible through honest living.
Some of the personalities slated for this year’s awards are, Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankwawoso I, President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Stephen S. Yirenkyi, President, Ghana Institute of Planners, Dr Edem Hiadzi of Lister Hospital, Mrs Jacqueline Benyi, Executive Director, Enterprise Life Insurance, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah and Ms Catherine N.E.A. Coffie of Anowah Afrique Ltd.
“We encourage people to be closer to God, believing that those who are close to God form the pool of the richest or wealthiest in the world today. Crooks may make all the money in the world, but they burn it in no time, they don’t sustain their wealth,” Dr Otibu-Asare said.
This year’s forum, which will include the inauguration of Nobles Club 100, will be chaired by Dr Fynn, while the keynote speaker is expected to be the Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministries, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee and the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Mahama Ayariga, is expected to be the guest of honour.
“Unfortunately, when you talk about corruption, people look the direction of government only, but the irony is that everyone here is corrupt, the mechanic, the apprentice, the house boy, the high and the low, so fighting corruption at the top only, cannot achieve the desired results. In fact, corruption is not being fought in the sub-region yet. What they are doing in countries, where they are attempting to do so, is putting fear in the people, mere rhetorics,” he said.
As the group moves round the sub-region to identify and recognise men and women of integrity in the region, Dr Otibu-Asare said it was their hope that such honesty would be replicated and emulated by others in the society, believing that it would enhance the ethical behaviour of the people.
As part of its battle against all forms of corruption in the sub-region, the Forum therefore, he further explained, planned to wage serious campaign against pornography, particularly those in musical clips and home videos, stating that they were corrupting kids.
He was not happy with the increasing number of tobacco distributors in the sub-region, explaining that the argument that they provided employment opportunities and huge revenue for government was baseless, considering the health hazards these products posed to the people.
With a sound Board of Trustees selected from across West Africa headed by its President Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, a renowned University Chancellor in Ghana, and such other eminent members as Professor Hogan Akpan Ekpo of Nigeria, Dr Joyce Aryee, Patron, (Ghana), Togbe Kofi Ajavor (Togo), Dr Theresa Oppong-Beeko, Noble Douglas Arthur-Mensah and Noble Yidana Mahami (Ghana), Rev. Jerry Nwor, Dr Vincent Ngodo (Nigeria), among others.