Communiqué of the meeting between the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the three former Presidents, their Excellencies, Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama, convened at the Presidency, on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, to discuss issues bordering on governance in Ghana

The Presidency
Accra
18th April 2017.

On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, invited the three former Presidents of the Republic, their Excellencies, Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama to a meeting at the Presidency. Its purpose was to seek their views on some governance-enhancing measures his administration intends to take.

In his Inaugural speech on Saturday, January 7, 2017, President Akufo-Addo stated that “I am in the unique position of being able to draw on the wisdom and experience of three former Presidents of the Republic, their Excellencies Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama. They represent the continuity of the institutions of our Republic, for which we thank God.”

This statement was reiterated in the President’s message to Parliament on the State of the Nation, on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, where he said that “I am in the enviable position of being the first Ghanaian leader to be able to draw on the experiences of three living, former Presidents. This should, definitely, enrich my tenure of office.”

The meeting, which lasted for two hours, was held in a good atmosphere, one of frank exchanges and mutual respect. It is the intention of President Akufo-Addo to have further meetings with the three former Presidents in the future.