Private legal practitioner Ace Anan Ankomah has called on the newly graduated students of Methodist University to lead with purpose and integrity, urging them to become the change that Ghana urgently needs.
Speaking at the 22nd congregation of the university in Accra on Saturday, November 16, Ankomah emphasized the importance of contributing to the nation’s progress, not just for personal benefit but for the collective good.
“I challenge you: Lead with purpose. Live with integrity. Each of us has a higher calling than just personal advancement… Ghana is waiting for your contribution. You may well be the change Ghana has been waiting for. Don’t just be part of it, be the change the country desperately needs. True empowerment is not measured by what you have but by what you give back,” Ankomah said.
He urged the graduates to strive for excellence and stand out in their fields, adding, “When others sit, stand. When they stand, stand out. When they stand out, be outstanding. And when they are outstanding, be the standard.”
With a poetic message, Ankomah inspired the graduates to aim for perfection and excellence in all their endeavors.
He said, “The perfect is not illusionary. The excellent is not imaginary. May ‘I want to be the best’ be our vocabulary as we work to be better than the ordinary. The ‘extra’ is what the extraordinary has over the ordinary. The je ne sais quoi, that thing beyond the ordinary. If we think and imagine beyond the ordinary, if we look and see beyond the ordinary, if we act and work beyond the ordinary, then we will be beyond the ordinary. Then we will truly become extraordinary.”
He concluded his speech by paraphrasing the words of Charles Wesley, encouraging the graduates to serve their generation by helping the right and fighting the wrong.
“Graduates, ensure that you will be praised among the wise, brave, and strong who graced their generation by helping the right and fighting the wrong, and making our folk a nation. Take inspiration from the words of Charles Wesley, that because serving the present age is our calling to fulfill, it should engage all our powers to do the Master’s will,” Ankomah said.
The powerful message resonated with the graduates, inspiring them to take on the mantle of leadership and contribute meaningfully to the development of Ghana.
