The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has delivered a searing critique of Ghana’s modern identity, arguing that the nation is trapped in a “pointless existential dilemma” caused by the abandonment of its ancestral heritage in favour of colonial imitations.
Speaking as the guest speaker at the 95th Anniversary Speech and Prize Giving Day of his alma mater, Accra Academy, Mr Agyebeng posited that the fight for a prosperous and corruption-free future begins not with policy but with a reclamation of the Ghanaian self.
Drawing parallels to Kwaw Ansah’s 1989 cinematic masterpiece Heritage Africa, the special prosecutor warned that Ghanaians have become “unrecognisable” to themselves.
He noted that the systematic erasure of indigenous languages and the retention of Europeanised place names—such as “Ashanti Region” instead of Asante or “Cape Coast” instead of Oguaa—are symptoms of a deeper malaise.
“We are in the in-between—and sometimes there are more of them than us. And yet we cannot be like them. And we are unable to be like us,” Agyebeng stated. “This state of none-identity… is caught cyclically in the in-between and its attendant perpetual underachievement.”
Mr Agyebeng’s thesis centred on education as the primary tool for national “renaissance”.
He argued that the current educational model, largely inherited from colonial structures designed for rudimentary commerce, must be overhauled to prioritise three essential pillars. This transformation requires preserving heritage by rooting students in their own history and language to provide a secure foundation for growth, while simultaneously driving innovation by using a confident sense of identity to fuel original ideas.
Ultimately, this approach aims to empower leadership by moving away from self-serving conduct in favour of the Academy’s second motto, Non Sibi Sed Aliis, which calls for a life dedicated to others rather than oneself.
Reflecting on the Academy’s “triune” of human productivity—the heart, head, and hand—the Special Prosecutor urged the next generation of leaders to eschew the “stubborn will” that often leads to corruption.
He maintained that true innovation and leadership are impossible without a “conscience clear” and a dedication to causes larger than the individual.
“Our sterlingness would be borne of education that preserves our heritage to assure our place on the global scene as a force to reckon,” he concluded, calling on the nation to absorb foreign knowledge without losing its “very essence” in the process.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
