Akufo-Addo confers Ghanaian citizenship on American singer Stevie Wonder
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has granted Ghanaian citizenship status to renowned American musician and songwriter Stevie Wonder.
At a brief ceremony held at the Jubilee House in Accra today [May 13, 2024], the award-winning musician was given a Certificate of Citizenship by the President after taking the Oath of Allegiance.
Three years ago, Stevie Wonder, appearing on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, disclosed that he would be moving to Ghana, citing political turmoil in the US.
“I wanna see this nation smile again. And I want to see it before I leave to travel to move to Ghana because I’m going to do that,” he said.
Winfrey then asked, “You’re going to permanently move to Ghana?”
He replied, “I am”.
He added, “I don’t want to see my children’s children’s children have to say, ‘Oh please’, like me. ‘Please respect me, please know that I am important, please value me’. What is that?”
Meanwhile, Mr. Kow Essuman, President Akufo-Addo’s legal counsel, took to social media to congratulate Stevie Wonder on his new status as a Ghanaian citizen.
Stevie Wonder is officially Ghanaian. He has just taken the Oath of Allegiance and received the Certificate of Citizenship by Registration at Jubilee House. Congratulations, Sir and welcome to Ghana.
— Kow Essuman (@kaessuman) May 13, 2024
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Stevie Wonder, the latest Ghanaian. Welcome to #Ghana 🇬🇭 and Happy Birthday. Ghanaian citizenship on your birthday. When Heaven smiles on a legend … pic.twitter.com/9QkmtSOOwV
— Kow Essuman (@kaessuman) May 13, 2024
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“Stevie Wonder is officially Ghanaian. He has just taken the Oath of Allegiance and received the Certificate of Citizenship by Registration at Jubilee House. Congratulations, Sir, and welcome to Ghana,” Essuman posted.
Stevie Wonder’s influence spans various music genres, including R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz, making him a true pioneer in the music industry.
Wonder, a Michigan native, learned to play piano, drums and harmonica by age nine and signed to Motown in 1961. Since then, he has won 25 Grammy Awards and has been nominated 74 times.
He is popularly known for songs like ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’, ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’, ‘Part-Time-Lover’, ‘Superstition’, ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘As’.