Vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said achieving ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ vision depends to a large extent on the values that define Ghanaians.
The Vice President has therefore called for national introspection and review of the attitudes and values that make Ghanaians unique.
Speaking at the 10th Matriculation of the Pentecost University College, Accra on Saturday 15th December, 2018 Dr Bawumia challenged tertiary institutions, especially faith-based ones, to lead the crusade for a national attitudinal change in order to put in place the necessary building blocks for the achievement of a Ghana Beyond Aid.
“To achieve the vision of Ghana Beyond Aid, there is the need for attitudinal change and a change in our value system. After all, when you die, you are not taking any material thing with you. What matters is your value system. Your service to humanity, with integrity and sincerity.
“Tertiary Institutions, especially the faith-based ones should lead this crusade, making sure that their core values are well assimilated by their students. In so doing, they will come out not only as responsible citizens but also as men and women of integrity who will positively influence society.”
Bemoaning the negative impact of weak basic value systems on society, Vice President Bawumia challenged the graduands to inculcate the values espoused in the teachings and tenets of the Pentecost University in their daily lives.
“One important factor required for building good societies but which continues to elude us is our weak basic value systems. Faith, they say, moves mountains. Our core value systems of fairness, honesty, integrity, hard work, completeness of work are much in short supply.
“In any nation where these core values are in short supply, then progress will be limited. As I listened to the anthem of Pentecost University College, at the heart of this anthem is serving humanity with sincerity and integrity. That is a major statement about the values of this university. Serving humanity with dignity and integrity is at the heart of what we need to do if we are to move beyond aid. After all, why did God put us on this earth, you have to ask yourselves.
“For all of you graduands who are going out to the world of work, you have to remember that you are going to have to serve humanity with integrity and sincerity, no matter where you find your selves. You are not going to look for material things. That is not what life is about. You are going to serve humanity. But when we look around we see greed, ostentation, competitive richness and so much on display, and we need to say to our selves, this is not the way to build a Ghana beyond Aid. We need to do things differently.
“Tertiary institutions must help us build a Good Society by inculcating good core value systems in our conduct as individuals, as community members and leaders and as citizens and nation builders.”
