Emulate Mensah Sarbah — Info. Minster

The Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Hamid, has called on Ghanaians, especially politicians, to emulate the ingenious character of legendary John Mensah Sarbah.

According to him, the life of the illustrious son of Ghana is an epitome of selflessness, commitment and hard work.

He said Mensah Sarbah was a man who was ready to pay whatever it cost for the good of others.

Speaking at the Inaugural Anniversary Lecture and Thanksgiving Service held in honour of the lawyer and policy maker, Mr Hamid said, “His life virtually tells us that as public officers, there should be a time where our sacrifices to the nation should include even putting our own personal resources into the national coffers to help develop our nation.”

He continued: “I’m not sure you can attribute many Ghanaian people to this virtue. Right now, we are all asking what can the nation do for us rather than what can we do for our nation?”

The Testament of John Mensah Sarbah

Over a century after his demise, Sarbah’s vision and philosophies have been immortalised in the minds of Ghanaians.

At the Lecture which was held under the theme “Education as a Catalyst to Economic Emancipation”, revelatory insights were given into the life of the acclaimed lawyer, businessman and politician.

In a Keynote address, Prof. Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, described Sarbah as an embodiment of a deeply intellectual period that included many great sons of the land.

He said “a lot of great men associated with Ghana’s independence were inspired by Mensah Sarbah” however, 60 years after formal independence, most Ghanaians are still enslaved mentally.

Nana Kobina Nketsia therefore encouraged all to emancipate and deconstruct their minds in ways Sarbah had wanted Ghanaians to and further pleaded with policy makers to interrogate the name ‘Sarbah’ for the direction of Education and various systems of government.

Mr. Kojo Bentsi-Enchill, Senior Partner at leading Ghanaian law firm Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah in delivering the Anniversary Lecture shared new perspectives on Sarbah as a visionary business man with a wide array of businesses ranging from palm oil, cocoa investing and mining.

Having read thousands of Sarbah’s cases, he deduced that business was a key driver for nation building.

The Mfantsipim School was not left out in the many tributes that were delivered.

According to the Vice President of the Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA), Dr Alfred Ampah Mensah, Mensah Sarbah was very instrumental in the development of the school and played a critical role in the acquisition of the land where the school is currently located.

The Sarbah Memorial Legacy Foundation

The vision of the foundation set up by descendants of the legend is firstly to preserve the legacy of Mensah Sarbah by digitally archiving his works and continually telling Sarbah’s compelling story including his contributions to present day Ghana.

After its official launch in April, 2018, the foundation would begin to provide scholarships to deserving students of Law.

Source: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]