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Mr Kojo Yankah, the Chairman of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah Genius Award delivering some remarks. Picture: NII MARTEY M. BOTCHWAY
Mr Kojo Yankah, the Chairman of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah Genius Award delivering some remarks. Picture: NII MARTEY M. BOTCHWAY

Second Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah African Genius Award launched

The Second edition of the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah African Genius Award 2017 has been launched in Accra with a call on Ghanaians to be more creative and innovative in their endeavours.

The Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah Foundation (OKNF) organised and initiated the award scheme aimed at celebrating excellence, as well as recognising the contribution of African personalities in world affairs.

National Development

The Founder of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), Prof. Kojo Yankah, who made the call in Accra yesterday noted that Dr Kwame Nkrumah was innovative and therefore brought immense change to the country and asked the youth to think outside the box to effect the change the country needed.

Prof.  Yankah, who is also the Board Chairman of the OKNF, mentioned that the government could support individuals who excelled in their various fields with public funds to contribute to national development.

“The African genius has been with us since civilisation began. Africans have every reason to celebrate those who in spite  of obstacles put in their way by pessimists and colonial minds have shown by deeds that the African is a force to reckon with,” he said.

Making reference to Osaygefo Kwame Nkrumah’s speech on problem resolution, he urged Ghanaians to be passionate about fixing problems instead of complaining about them.

“The educated man should be so sensitive to the conditions around him that he makes it his chief endeavour to improve these conditions for the good of all,” Prof. Yankah quoted Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. He, therefore, said that the educated ones should fix the problem and stop the complaint.

Productivity

The Chairperson of the launch, Mrs Kate Quartey Papafio, challenged students to use their time wisely to be part of the second announcements of award recipients in December this year.

She urged the youth to utilise their time productively by conducting research to discover ideas to solve the problems confronting the country.

“We need to do a lot to catch up with the  competition of the rest of the world because the world is running so fast,” she added.

Mrs Papafio further asked the youth to use their mobile phones to do more research rather than unproductive things which did not contribute to national development.

She said presentation of award would be done this year to celebrate Ghanaians who had contributed immensely to arts and culture , technology, engineering, architecture, medicine, governance and religion to promote national development.

According to the organisers, they took inspiration and motivation to initiate the award from Dr Kwame Nkrumah's statement in Ghana's National Assembly in June 1965 during which he urged Africans to have "the courage to dream, the courage to believe, the courage to dare, the courage to do, the courage to envision, the courage to fight, the courage to work, the courage to achieve-to achieve the highest excellence and the fullest greatness of man".

Award

Some personalities rewarded in the maiden edition in 2015 included Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, who was awarded for medicine and exemplary public service, Apostle Kwadwo Sarfo, innovation; Mrs Kate Quartey Papafio, entrepreneurship; and Dr Ave Kludze for Engineering.

The board of the award scheme has began the search for persons and institutions whose works had impacted the society to the extent that they had become national or international references.

The launch was attended by board members of the scheme, students, and the media to create more awareness of the award.

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