Ghana needs leaders with character capacities

The Chairman of Databank, Mr. Ken Ofori Atta on Saturday said Ghana needs leaders with character capacities to persevere and move the country forward.It is through character that enabling virtues and integrity, humility excellence and selfless service into our lives and community are engendered, he said.Mr. Ofori Atta was addressing the 2006 year graduates of Ashesi University College at the occasion in Accra.It was the second graduating class since the establishment of the University during which 31 students undertook courses in Computer Science and Business Administration He said character was crucial because "it empowers our capacities while keeping them in check. It differentiates those who abuse power and those who steward it."He said the leadership crisis in Africa and for that matter, Ghana remains quite grave and that this era requires inspired leadership to move the country forward.Mr. Ofori Atta urged the graduates to take advantage of the economic stability the country was enjoying and deploy the software of scholarship the university had given them "to engage our society in order to rebuild the economy, strengthen the moral character of our nation and to clearly define and establish a collectively owned vision of a good society." You are to think through your society's intractable problems and solve them as it is captured in Ashesi's crest: Scholarship, Leadership and Citizenship" he added.He said the graduates are to accelerate with boldness our journey to a middle-income country and are capable to straddle the complex demand of globalisation with the realization of the good society for Ghana @50 years.Dr. Patrick Awuah, founder and President of the University on the occasion said each of the graduates were product of a distinctive educational experience that compels them to be analytical, to be unafraid of ambiguity, and to hold firm to the highest standards of personal and academic conduct.Dr. Awuah said the process of learning about the universe and the human condition was the very foundation upon which truly inspired leadership was built, adding, "the search for new insights about our world is the basis for wisdom, and as such is a necessary condition for great leadership and meaningful citizenship." He said that the ability to be an effective leader would depend on personal attributes such as integrity, compassion and commitment. He therefore, urged the graduands to hold fast to the values they have learnt as they go out into the world of work and rise to the occasion when leadership was thrust upon them. 16 Dec. 06
Source:GNA