Urges Unity for Economic Prosperity
Front Desk
Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff, has delivered a strikingly personal appeal for national reconciliation, revealing his decades-old bond with former President John Agyekum Kufuor and urging Ghanaians to transcend the toxic rivalries of the NDC-NPP divide .
Addressing the Accra Friendship Club’s Dinner and Awards Night on Saturday an event graced by the presence of ex-President Kufuor Debrah set aside the usual bureaucratic script to deliver what amounted to a meditation on relationships, forgiveness, and the quiet intersections of personal history that bind political foes .
“Would you believe that the son of our former President, Kufuor; Kofi Kufuor; was someone I used to take care of while we were at Achimota School?” Debrah asked the audience, gathered under the Ridge Underbridge.
In a revelation that humanises the often-anonymous machinery of state, the Chief of Staff recounted his days as a sixth-form student at Achimota, where he served as a “school father” to the younger Kofi Kufuor. In the arcane traditions of the boarding school, junior students entrusted their weekend provisions to senior students for safekeeping in their cubicles. Debrah was the custodian of Kofi’s food .
“At that time, we did not know that Kufuor would become President,” Debrah reflected. “For me, I also did not know that I would grow up in the future and enter politics.”
The bond led to invitations to the Kufuor family home near the Airport, where the then-opposition figure would offer counsel to the young student. “He would ask me questions: Where do you come from? Who is your father? He would also advise me, saying, ‘Be a good child, and if you are a good child, you will grow to become a good parent,'” Debrah recalled, illustrating a cross-party mentorship that predated the polarisation of contemporary politics .
The Chief of Staff lamented that “the NDC–NPP rivalry tries to destroy our children,” warning that such acrimony corrodes the organic social fabric. “Going forward, if we want our country to rise, we must emphasize loving one another.”
Turning introspective as he approaches his 60th birthday next month, Debrah shared hard-won wisdom on forgiveness. “I have realized that if someone does something wrong to you and you do not forgive the person, you suffer more than the person who offended you,” he said. “Whenever you hear the person’s name, you become uncomfortable. But if you forgive, that night you will sleep well.”
Beyond the personal narrative, Debrah carried a formal message from President John Dramani Mahama. He conveyed the President’s congratulations and appreciation to the club’s members, approximately 70 percent of whom he noted are active in the private sector .
“For any country to grow, the private sector plays a critical role,” Debrah stated, reiterating Mahama’s vision to transform Ghana into the “manufacturing hub of Africa.” He assured the gathering that “whatever you are doing that requires government assistance, the government will support you to ensure that your businesses and investments grow.”
The Chief of Staff’s appearance capped a marathon day. He had begun at 6 a.m. with a health walk at the University of Ghana, flown to Kumasi to represent the President at a funeral, and returned to Accra for the evening engagement, underscoring the relentless demands on the President’s gatekeeper.
As Ghana approaches its 70th anniversary of independence, Debrah struck an optimistic chord: “Our country is still young… I believe Ghana will become a great nation.”