Group formed to reignite national patriotism
The Professional Patriots of Ghana (PPG), a non-governmental organisation, has rebranded as the Patriotic Professionals Integrated (PPI), Ghana, with the aim of advocating the advancement of national development through patriotism.
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The rebranding is to formalise its redesigned strategies to reignite patriotism among Ghanaians.
The President of the PPI, Mr Eric Nartey Yeboah, said at the relaunch of the organisation last Friday that it was made up of professionals from various disciplines and had led advocacy for patriotism since 2014.
The relaunch was on the theme: “Mobilise and empower through patriotism.”
According to Mr Yeboah, the PPI’s objective was to provide humanitarian services for all Ghanaians, influence national policy, as well as empower vulnerable groups, without consideration for religion, belief or political affiliation.
Purpose
The PPI, he explained, was initially set up to proffer solutions to the dwindling economic fortunes of the country, the high rate of graduate unemployment and the poor performance of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), one of the real pro-poor initiatives.
Mr Yeboah said it was due to those problems that the PPI was formed to rally for a change in government.
“In the past two years, moving from one village to another revealed to us that governance was key to dealing with the huge challenges bedevilling the state, hence the need for change began,” he stated.
Agenda
Outlining how the group hoped to enhance national development, he said PPI focused on the provision of health care and vocational skills and providing start-up capital for women.
“Our advocacy, among other things, will touch on legal aid, education and the protection of the rights of the under-privileged,” he noted.
Mr Yeboah explained that patriotic clubs would also be formed in about 100 schools across the country, adding that the National Patriotic Award the PPI had introduced would encourage and reward Ghanaians for being patriotic.
Focus on patriotism
Delivering his address at the relaunch, the Deputy Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Mr Moses Anim, lauded the objectives of the PPI to promote patriotism, stating that “the decay of patriotism led to corruption, robbery and other vices in the country”, adding that the group’s activities came in handy to discourage those vices.
He stressed that sharing the Ghanaian identity was a good reason for closely knitting the public together and putting the country beyond self-interest.
He discounted the actions of some radio and television stations that devoted too much air-time to politics, ignoring vital issues such as the promotion of patriotism and advocating the advancement of national development.
The Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Tetteh Sackey, notable New Patriotic Party (NPP) personalities and the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, Mr Ebenezer Nartey graced the occasion.