Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed faculty members, and dear students, it is with great pleasure and anticipation that I welcome you all to this special public lecture, featuring the esteemed former president of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. To those visiting our university for the first time, I say a big thank you for honoring our invitation and also to warmly welcome you to Wisconsin. I hope that you have been pleasantly surprised at the vastness of our university. Wait until you enter our classrooms and various practical laboratories and you will be amazed at the amount of work that has gone into nurturing our future leaders.
Ladies and gentlemen, today marks a significant moment in our academic calendar as we have the privilege to engage with a leader of great stature and experience. Before I proceed any further, I want to express the university’s profound appreciation to the former president, HE John Dramani Mahama for honoring our invitation. We are extremely privileged and honored to host you. I have no doubt in my mind that, you have honored our invitation because you recognize the invaluable contribution of academia in the formulation of sound policies and strategies for any nation.
Our gathering here today should remind us of the indispensable link between academia and politics. The collaboration and interaction between these two realms are crucial for the advancement of our society. Academia provides the intellectual framework, research, and critical analysis needed to inform policies and decision-making, while politics translates these insights into action, shaping the direction of a nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, we stand at the intersection of opportunity and responsibility, where the voices of our citizens converge with the aspirations of our nation’s leaders. At Wisconsin International University College Ghana, we recognize the importance of fostering dialogue and engagement between our political leaders and academics. It is my hope that this lecture will serve as a catalyst for deeper collaboration between academia and politics. Through open dialogue and exchange of ideas, we can foster a more informed and inclusive governance system that addresses the needs and aspirations of our people.
Students and faculty members, I hope and believe that the insights shared by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama will not only enrich our understanding but also inspire us to strive for excellence and actively participate in the affairs of our nation. In these challenging times, it is imperative that we uphold our commitment to service and offer our expertise to contribute to the betterment of society. I urge technocrats and academics alike to heed the call to serve in government, despite the hazards and challenges that may accompany such endeavors. Our nation requires the expertise, innovation, and dedication that you possess to navigate through complex issues and drive meaningful change.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my hope and expectation that this lecture serves as a pivotal platform for interactive discourse, igniting pertinent conversations that will shape the trajectory of our nation’s future. I want to urge each of you, esteemed students, to actively participate in this dialogue. Pay close attention to the submissions of the speaker, for it is through informed engagement that we hold our leaders accountable. Let us demand transparency, integrity, and commitment to the promises they make since it is from these principles that trust in our political class is built.
I commend the initiators of this event, which is the School of Communication Studies, and all of its collaborators for their dedication and vision in creating this platform for dialogue. To the other units and faculties, let us all take inspiration from their example and strive to cultivate similar initiatives within our respective spheres of influence. On this note, I wish us all a successful engagement.
Thank you.
