Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has called on Ghana to move beyond symbolic memorials and instead embed the principles and national ideals of the country’s founding figures into its institutions, schools and political culture.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during activities to commemorate Dr Joseph Boakye Danquah—one of Ghana’s leading nationalist thinkers and constitutional pioneers—Annoh-Dompreh expressed deep sorrow over how the renowned statesman was treated during his lifetime, particularly the circumstances surrounding his detention and eventual death.
“It is saddening in my heart that such a personality would be treated the way he was treated,” he said, referring to the period when Dr Danquah suffered under the Preventive Detention Act during the early years of post-independence politics.
But the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP, insisted that Ghana’s remembrance of its forebears must not be reduced to monuments, plaques or isolated naming ceremonies.
He argued that advanced democracies such as the United States, Britain and Australia do not merely erect statues for their national heroes but rather distil their ideas and principles into systems that shape governance and national identity.
“In other developed jurisdictions, they teach the principles these people stood for in schools and institutions, and it becomes part of the formation of their politics,” he said, stressing that Ghana must adopt a similar approach if it truly values its historical leaders.
Annoh-Dompreh also lamented the controversies and resistance that often arise when proposals are made to honour Danquah more prominently, citing public apprehension about calls to rename the University of Ghana after him.
He described such divisions as unnecessary and damaging, warning that national pioneers must serve as a binding force rather than a partisan fault line.
“Let’s celebrate these forebearers and what they achieved for our country,” he urged, cautioning against attempts to politicise national history.
Beyond commemoration, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP proposed that Ghana could better preserve and promote Danquah’s legacy through heritage and tourism development.
He questioned why key historical sites linked to Danquah’s final days—including the prison cell where he died—have not been developed into national attractions.
“I’m surprised that up to this stage, even the cells where he gave up the ghost, the Ghana Tourism Authority hasn’t cashed in on that,” he said, arguing that such sites could draw visitors from across the world, serve educational purposes, and strengthen historical consciousness.
He further called for Danquah’s burial site to be developed into a place of national reverence and tourism interest, adding that Ghana has not done enough to preserve these tangible reminders of its political and intellectual heritage.
Annoh-Dompreh also highlighted Danquah’s scholarly contributions, noting the wealth of writings and interventions available at the University of Ghana’s Balme Library, where generations of students continue to encounter his work on law, governance, and constitutional development.
While acknowledging that Ghana has taken some steps, including attaching Danquah’s name to certain institutions, he insisted the efforts remain insufficient.
“There’s a second name after J.B. Danquah, but it is not enough. We can go beyond that,” he said.
He concluded by calling for a deliberate national effort to distil and celebrate Dr. Danquah’s contributions to constitutional governance, democratic development and the rule of law, so future generations can inherit a stronger political culture rooted in the sacrifices of Ghana’s pioneers.
“If we continue to do that, we will be leaving a good legacy for this country and generations yet to be born,” he added.
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