New board for Osagyefo African Genius Award inaugurated
A fourteen-member reconstituted Board of Governors of the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah African Genius Award has been inaugurated in Accra.
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It will, among other things, approve and publish the various categories and criteria for the Osagyefo awards which seeks to honour individuals who have distinguished themselves in various fields of development.
The board is also charged with the responsibility of approving and publishing the various categories and criteria for the Osagyefo awards.
Membership
It is chaired by the Chancellor of the African University College of Communication (AUCC), Mr Kojo Yankah.
Other members are the Chief Executive Officer of TV Africa, Mr Kwaw Ansah, Assistant Board Chairman; Dr Kwabena Dufuor, Chairman of Star Assurance; Dr Ellen Hagan, CEO of L’Ainee Services; Mr Alhassan Andani, Managing Director of Stanbic Bank; Major Albert Don Chebe (retd), Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation; and Mr Kweku Acheampong Kyei, Chairman of Glico Group.
The rest are Mr David Dontoh, an actor; Mr Daniel Asiedu, Managing Director of Zenith Bank; Professor Nii Yartey, Lecturer, University of Ghana; Nana Adwoa Awindor of Greetings from Abroad fame; Dr Joseph Ampofo, Director of the Water Research Institute; Professor Kofi Asare Opoku, Dean of African Studies; AUCC and a representative of the Association of Ghana Industries.
Essence of award
Inaugurating the board, the Omanhen of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, said the award had become necessary to revive and encourage creativity among Africans all over the world.
According to him, the only weapon left for Africans to gain their rightful place in the world was the use of indigenous culture, and called on Africans to embrace tradition and culture for development.
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Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Executive Director of the Centre for Communication and Culture, Mr Enimil Ashon, said the award was inspired by the late President Nkrumah’s quest to identify African genius for the development of the continent.
“We think that we shouldn’t allow his quest to die; there is something in the African that will push the world forward,” he said.
He added that the African renaissance had arrived and the vision of Africa could be brought into fruition by honouring achievements and achievers to inspire others.
“Africans have achieved, and they are still achieving and we want to make people aware that everything is possible,” he added.
Acceptance speech
Speaking on behalf of the board, Mr Yankah said the awards scheme would not be limited to Ghanaians but the entire African continent.
He said there were more younger and older persons whose efforts towards development needed to be celebrated, and promised that the board would discharge its duties with honesty, transparency and dignity to help achieve the intended purpose of the awards.