Another doctorate degree for Kufuor

Daily Graphic Politics May - 21 - 2015 , 07:36

The Delaware State University in the United States (DSU) has conferred an honorary doctorate degree in Humane Letters on former President John Agyekum Kufuor for his exemplary leadership qualities and contribution to the alleviation of hunger and poverty around the world.

Conferring the honours, Professor Harry Williamson, President of the University, said former President Kufuor’s exceptional leadership catapulted Ghana from a developing country status to a middle-income one in a matter of seven years, during his administration.

“This admirable achievement made Ghana stand out from among the community of African and developing countries… DSU is proud to be associated with you,” Professor Williams said.

In his speech, which was the first by a former head of state at the DSU, former President Kufuor told graduates at the 126th Commencement ceremony that “the youth of today are inheritors of the legacy of the globalisation process that has engulfed the world now.

“This reality of globalisation comes with the ever-growing awareness that inter-dependence among nations and peoples of the world is indisputable. The world has been demystified – becoming smaller and smaller – and opening up into one market; symbolised by competitiveness.

“This imposes a responsibility on the youth to adequately prepare themselves for global leadership to enable them to sustain and save the planet for all mankind,” adding that the world today was a fast-changing one which presented numerous challenges as well as opportunities.

He said the youth could only take advantage of the opportunities if they served with humility and diligence and broadened their horizon in whatever field of endeavour they would find themselves.

“The time has come for your generation to aspire to leadership that would be globally transforming, and you can only do this when you join and associate with forces that seek the ultimate good of all humanity. Hunger, poverty, disease, deadly migratory voyages, social and economic deprivation and inequalities anywhere and everywhere in the world, especially in the least developed countries and conflict areas, should be of concern to you.